a child's play
by alice hattercandy
Summary: Ichigo groaned, almost heartbroken as he looked down at Inoue Orihime. Small, cute and, yes, flat-chested.
1. the day my goddess shrinks a pumpkin

**title. **a child's play **  
summary.** Ichigo groaned, almost heartbroken as he looked down at Inoue Orihime. Small, cute and, _yes, _flat-chested.**  
prompt. **"innocence, come baaaaaack to me!"  
**note. **k+. … you don't believe me? sobs. this is an attempt to salvage my innocence. COME BACK, INNOCENT MIND! COME BACK. i should be working on my giftee's FF gift (since writing is what I can only do XD) BUT I TOTALLY FAIL. CRAP. *runs off to brainstorm again***  
disclaimer.** applied, a-huh. no no no not mine ever.**  
warning.** weirdness. cos it's me. sorry!

* * *

"Inoue-dono!"

"Inoue-chan!"

"Inoue!"

…

…

…

"…Daa?"

_.

"Kisuke."

"Hai, Yoruichi-san?"

"Inoue-donooooooo!"

"Now, hush, Tessai-san."

"Inoue-_donoooooo!_"

"You're such a loser."

"Respect your elderly, boy."

"…hmph."

"Inoue-_donoooooo!_"

"Ururu-chan, please try to pacify Tessai-san."

"…"

"Inoue-_donoooooo!_"

"TESSAI, BE QUIET."

"…"

"KISUKE."

"Um."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

"…Heh. Heh."

"KISUKE."

"It's an—"

"Daa!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Ichigo's going to be _so _pissed."

"…I know."

"Inoue-_donoooooo!_"

"SHUT UP OLD MAN!"

"Jinta-kun!"

_.

"And that's what happened."

Sado was staring unblinkingly at the tiny thing sitting at Urahara's feet. Uryuu was speechless, gawking, his eyeglasses askew. And Ichigo was wide-eyed and a little pale at first, and then, a vein throbbed in his forehead.

"_You_." The muscles in Ichigo's jaw were pulsing as he hissed, teeth barred. Urahara nervously chuckled.

Uryuu counted one to three.

Amber eyes burning and multiple veins throbbing in his temples, Ichigo yelled, "_Damn it!_ _What have you done to Inoue, geta-boshi!"_

"Kurosaki!" Uryuu snapped, glancing at him furtively. Even Sado looked at him sharply. Ichigo blinked and looked down at Urahara's feet, flustered and flushed. Sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze.

"It was an accident, Kurosaki-san."

Ichigo's eyes hardened as he glared at odd shopkeeper, who fidgeted – _yes, _he did – under the murderous, unbelieving stare. "A-A-A-Accident?" he repeated incredulously, stuttering. "You… You… You…" Uryuu and Sado waited for Ichigo to continue who was pointing a trembling index finger at Kisuke.

"_You shrank Inoue!_"

Uryuu and Sado blinked, looked at each other and together with the other three males, Ichigo, Urahara, Tessai-san – who was sobbing in his fists – they all looked down simultaneously at the tiny, bright, smiling thing at Kisuke's feet.

There was a beaming toothy grin and for some unknown reason, Ichigo felt himself flush healthily like an overgrown strawberry.

"I think…" Uryuu began as the little thing with huge gray eyes and bright hair gave another dazzling grin, and Ichigo became increasingly red. "…Kurosaki is right."

"Daaaa!"

A tint of pale red dusted Sado's cheeks.

Uryuu sighed, a massive headache coming on.

"Inoue-san _did _shrink."

As if on cue, there was a squeal of "Daaa!" and two tiny hands flailed. And again, as one entity, the males looked down at the tiny, three year old auburn-haired child with very large gray eyes and toothy grin.

"Daaa!"

Ichigo groaned, almost heartbroken as he looked down at Inoue Orihime. Small, cute and, _yes, _flat-chested.

* * *

i know. i am weird, and i fail._ i__ fail._ XDD should i continue?


	2. she chases the butterflies and sparkles

**title. **a child's play **  
summary.** Ichigo groaned, almost heartbroken as he looked down at Inoue Orihime. Small, cute and, _yes, _flat-chested.**  
prompt. **"innocence, come baaaaaack to me!"  
**note.** oya, i changed the last word. XD from the odd 'breast-less' to 'flat-chested.' ^_^" sounds normal, does it? XD sorry. :)) but really, which sounds better? XD i am undecided.**  
disclaimer.** applied, a-huh. no no not mine ever. i gain no money in making incredulous fan tales, so no suing, yeah? :D**  
warning.** um.

* * *

Urahara sighed, "I did _not _shrink Inoue-chan."

Ichigo wrenched his gaze away from the probably brightest thing he had ever seen. "Are you blind?" he breathed hotly, eyes wide. "Look at _her!_"

Wiping the tears off his cheeks, Tessai intervened. "Inoue-dono did not shrink. She turned into her two… or three year old self."

Ichigo blinked and stared at the tiny girl who was slightly taller than his knees. She was tiny, with pale skin, thin arms, and ridiculously long eyelashes. The kid was wearing a yellow jumper dress and a white blouse underneath with yellow ribbon around the collar. Her high-cut sneakers were yellow too, and her knee socks were black and white stripes. Long, pin-straight auburn hair glittered under the sunlight. The periwinkle hairpins, gifts given by her beloved brother, kept her bangs off her face.

_Damn. She's tiny._ Ichigo was a little intimidated to touch her. Knowing how strong his body was, he'd probably bruise her with slightest touch. While watching her, Orihime stared back at him with her large alien (because they were _huge_ and bright) eyes, and again, with no apparent reason, Ichigo felt his face heat up.

"Hai!" Kisuke exclaimed enthusiastically, nodding. "It means, she lost her breasts and –"

The orange-haired teen visibly flinched, his face suddenly bright red. "DON'T TALK ABOUT INOUE LIKE THAT!" he roared; Urahara and Uryuu flinched at the volume.

Hearing the yell, the child jumped in shock and stared up to the funny, scowling giant with bright hair. She scrambled up to her feet with difficulty and looked up to the blonde shopkeeper.

"Daa!" Her small fingers tugged at Kisuke's pant leg, waving a thin arm. "Up! Up! Uppppp!"

Urahara sighed and picked the child up, settling her on the crook of his arm. The child beamed at him and Kisuke grinned back toothily. Giggling madly, she threw her small arms around the man's neck and hugged him.

"She likes you," Ichigo stated blankly, his eyebrow twitching.

"Of course~" Urahara rubbed his cheek gently against the giggling child's small cheek. "I am so lovable! Right, Inoue-chan? Right-oh? Right-oh!" The little girl laughed and pulled at his hair.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "Damn it, Getaboshi—"

"Shh!" Urahara interjected as Tessai covered the giggling girl's ears. Gray eyes looked around, intrigued by the large hands cradling her small head.

"Please, don't say bad words in front of Inoue-dono!" Tessai pleaded. The child Inoue turned her head around and beamed at Tessai who _sparkled_ at her attention. Deftly, the girl reached out and yanked the dark glasses off his face. A gasp echoed from her small mouth, eyes filling her small face in delight as she discovered that under the dark glasses was…

Another dark glasses!

"DAAAA!"

"She's…" Ichigo started, watching Orihime in her three year old self flail her arms, reaching for Tessai. She struggled against Urahara's arm, her body straining to reach for Tessai.

"Saiii! Saiii!"

Urahara nodded, having difficulty restraining the girl. "Yes. She's very hyper."

"Saiiiiii!"

The three teenagers continued to watch Orihime struggle to reach Tessai's face.

"Hai, Inoue-dono!" Easily, Tessai took Orihime from Urahara and held the child in arm's length. The girl giggled, her small arms and legs flailing. "Up, up and away!"

To Ichigo's horror, Tessai threw Orihime in the air – she let out a squeal – and caught her, only to throw her again.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU'RE GOING TO DROP HER!"

But Orihime seemed to enjoy this because she didn't stop giggling, her laughter shaking her body.

"Anyway," Urahara began, adjusting his hat, "You have to look after her."

The frown deepened on Ichigo's face. "What do you mean?" In the background, Orihime continued to chuckle.

"Well, you see, she needs a place to stay and _no, _she can't stay with me. You see, I'm working on the antidote–"

"How on earth did she turn to her younger self anyway?" Ichigo cut in, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "You didn't touch her, did you? Or were you trying to experiment something and you chose Inoue as your test subject?"

"I am hurt!" Urahara exclaimed dramatically. "I would never do such thing to Inoue-chan!"

"Like hel– I mean, I don't believe you! What did you do to her?"

"Well…"

"What!" Ichigo prodded impatiently.

"Daaa! Guuuh."

"She ate something–"

Ichigo's jaw dropped.

"YOU POISONED HER?"

"Calm down, Kurosaki. I know you're upset."

"I am _not_ upset," Ichigo snapped through gritted teeth. Kisuke giggled.

"Can I hold her?"

Ichigo and Uryuu turned to their tall friend. Sado was politely holding his hands out to the girl. Orihime blinked repeatedly and grinned happily. Ichigo arched an eyebrow as Sado blushed. He knew his friend liked cute things. No wonder he was enamored with the child.

"Like I said, it was an accident, Kurosaki-san. She got curious with the colorful wrappings of one of many candies and ate it. There was… a sound and we found her…" Urahara gestured at the girl, now being thrown in the air by Sado. "I need to work in peace in order for me to work on the antidote correctly so that she can turn back to her original body before Christmas. She's only three years old – I guess – and she needs someone to look after her. We'd love to have her but she's hyper and she might end up eating all my purchases."

"Tch."

Uryuu pushed up his glasses. "I'd love to help, but I have no idea how to take care of kids."

"Plus, you're prissy," Ichigo said with a sneer. Uryuu pointedly ignored him.

Urahara sighed. "Sado-kun would probably just throw her in the air—" Sado hadn't stopped since he got her from Tessai. "—nonstop."

Ichigo scowled.

"…well, we can leave her in an orphanage—"

"Hell no."

Tessai looked at him disapprovingly. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"I mean, you'd let her stay with strangers? It's the holidays!"

"Also, we have to keep this as a secret, especially from Arisawa-san," Uryuu stated. Urahara shivered while Ichigo nodded, agreeing.

"Yeah. Tatsuki _might– _no. She _will_ skin you alive, getaboshi," Ichigo snorted, rubbing the top of his orange head, face in a deep scowl. "She might end up spending Christmas in a jail because of you."

Urahara sighed deeply. "So what do we do?"

"Maybe we can leave her in a daycare—"

"No."

Uryuu arched a brow at the heavily scowling teenager.

Ichigo snorted first, rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Fine."

Urahara and Uryuu looked at Ichigo, who glanced at the giggling girl in Sado's arms.

"She can stay with me."

* * *

THANK YOU FOR READING. :)


	3. big as the sky, that person's affection

**title. **a child's play **  
summary.** Ichigo groaned, almost heartbroken as he looked down at Inoue Orihime. Small, cute and, _yes, _flat-chested.**  
prompt. **/  
**note.** ah sorry, late update -_-" i got busy with eating and hospitals. wah! sorry! :D anyway… my last update for this year! **HAPPY NEW YEAR MY FRIENDS! **eat, eat, eat, eat!**  
disclaimer.** applied, a-huh.**  
warning.** /

* * *

"With you?" Uryuu echoed, looking at him skeptically.

Head tilted to the side, Ichigo arched an eyebrow, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "What's with that stare?" He challenged defensively. "Just because I look like this it does not mean I don't know how to look after kids! I have two younger sisters, you know! I can take care of Inoue!"

As usual, Uryuu pushed up his glasses before responding. "I doubt it. You'd probably scare her off with that monstrous face of yours."

The corner of Ichigo's mouth twitched, a vein throbbing in his temple. "YOU –"

With Ichigo and Uryuu's banter in the background, Urahara cupped a hand around his mouth and called out, "Sado-kun, Sado-kun. Please, if you may." Catching the child one last time, Sado turned to Tessai who took the girl from Sado's arms.

"Please, please. Do not fight, Kurosaki-san, Ishida-san." The shopkeeper snapped his fan open.

Uryuu crossed his arms. "I am merely expressing my concern over Inoue-san welfare. The imbecile couldn't be trusted."

"Stop talking as if I'm not here, you freak!" Ichigo shot back. "I can take care of Inoue. _Believe _it or not, I don't care."

Large gray eyes were watching the two bickering teenagers. "Inoue-dono~" Orihime looked back and blinked up to Tessai who was sobbing while putting on an overlarge purple and white knitted winter hat with large earflaps atop the little girl's head.

"Sai…?"

Tessai sobbed again, his fingers tying the strings under Orihime's chin.

"Inoue-dono!" Tessai engulfed the kid in a bear hug.

Urahara chuckled indulgently. "Hai, hai. Tessai-san, please let go of Inoue-chan."

Tessai obeyed and turned to Ichigo who freaked out at the sudden close proximity between their faces. With a whispered curse, he moved back, cringing at the steady flow of tears streaming down Tessai's face. "Don't forget to feed her, Kurosaki-dono!"

"Eh? What the– you think I'll let her starve!"

"You're not exactly the affectionate type, Kurosaki. You," Uryuu enunciated before continuing, "are also insensitive."

"One more word, Ishida. _One more._"

"Inoue-chan," Urahara called and kneeled before the girl, "Behave. And don't run after pumpkin men."

"Hai!" The girl nodded, grinning.

"This is Kurosaki Ichigo." He pointed. "He'll look after you for awhile while Amazing Getaboshi makes another candy for you."

The child looked up to Ichigo who nervously rubbed the back of his head, uncomfortable at the very direct stare. He wasn't used to Orihime's staring at him openly. Even though she transformed into a child, Orihime retained her soulful but piercing eyes. It was unnerving to be stared at with such piercing sincerity and innocence, especially from Inoue.

"Ichi."

Ichigo blinked, surprised, and his whole face flushed heatedly. "Y-Yeah…" The child offered a blinding half-smile and he reddened even more, including his ears.

_What the hell! Why am I blushing!_

He studied the little girl under his lashes, his scowl thoughtful.

_Crap… Inoue looks like this when she's young? She looks so damn fragile. It's almost scary to hold her._

And her eyes.

… _were huge._

"Anyway, she'll eat anything you give her. She's not picky." Urahara added.

"But she likes strawberry ice cream!" Tessai piped in. "With ketchup."

The three gagged.

"My dad's gonna flip," Ichigo muttered, his frown darkening, dreading his father's reaction to him bringing home a child. He dug his chin deeper into his thick scarf, eyes deviated to the side.

"Please, Kurosaki-dono, be careful with Inoue-dono."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Geez."

But Tessai was not comforted. "She's very fragile!"

"I'm not going to break her or something, you know!"

"Like I said, you're not exactly the affectionate type." Uryuu reminded him.

"Smartass."

"…" Sado quietly regarded the small auburn-haired child who looked desperately sad. He noticed how she restrained herself from reaching out to Tessai or to Urahara.

"Be good, Inoue-chan. We'll see you soon."

Her thin eyebrows under the brim of her winter hat slanted sadly, her big gray eyes tearing. "Daa…"

Urahara smiled encouragingly, patting the girl's head. "Bye bye." The two men turned away and stalked off while the girl kept looking after them. Behind her, three tall men in coats stood.

There was a sound of small movement as Ichigo stepped closer to the child.

"Hey."

There was a sniff.

Ichigo knelt down beside the girl and said quietly, "Come on. It's kinda cold. You might get sick." Orihime turned her head around to look at him in the eye. Ichigo's frown deepened pensively as he marveled at how deep this child's eyes were. Orihime gave a watery smile, nodding obediently. Ichigo watched the girl took a deep breath, rubbing her face with her small hands.

"Alright," Ichigo said quietly, staring at the kid's small hands.

"See you tomorrow," Sado said quietly.

"Yeah."

"Don't forget to feed the child, Kurosaki."

"Geez. I'm not heartless, you bastard," Ichigo retorted, standing up.

Ichigo and little Orihime started to walk towards Kurosaki Clinic. Ichigo was deep in his thoughts, thinking of ways how to explain to his dad about Orihime's situation without him knowing that it _was _Orihime. Distracted by rapid small steps behind him, Ichigo looked back. "Inoue?" He watched the girl jogged closer, her face flushed and wisps of smoke coming from her small mouth as she panted. "Hey. What's up? Are you…" Ichigo's eyes widened in comprehension.

_Damn._

She was trying to keep up with his long strides.

_Shit._

Ishida was right. He _is _an insensitive bastard.

He sighed as he bent down, his coat touching the ground. "I'm sorry, Inoue," Ichigo said quietly. She blinked. He gave her a very faint apologetic smile. "I… I didn't mean to… leave you behind."

She looked thoughtful for a minute, gray eyes round and contemplative. And then, she smiled brightly and made wild gestures, her large eyes sparkling. The faint smile grew, amused as Ichigo watched her gesture. As always, Orihime forgives people easily, considering others before herself.

"Are you tired?" _She's so goddamned small._

She cocked her head to the side, blinking. And then, she smiled and shook her head.

"…are you sure?"

She gave enthusiastic nods.

"Alright…" Slowly, Ichigo stood up, still looking down to Orihime, who remained staring up to him. He averted his gaze, hiding his warm cheeks behind his scarf. "Let's go." This time, Ichigo held back, walking slowly to accommodate Orihime. "We're here," he said after a while. Ichigo looked down to her and watched in mild amusement as the girl tilted her head back, mouth parted, to look up to the house, which to her was as big as the sky.

"Ah… yours?" she asked in her thin voice, pointing at the house.

Ichigo nodded. "My family lives here."

"…family…" She repeated softly, looking curious.

"Yeah." Wearily, Ichigo turned towards the door. _Damn. How should I get her to my room without anyone noticing?_ He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He sighed, scratching the back of his head. _Ah… maybe if I use my super speed… they would not notice me! All I have to do is to hide her! _Immediately, Ichigo shed off his coat while dropping to one knee in front of her and placed it over the little girl's head. He could not help but to watch her eye the coat above her head with her round, curious eyes, tilting her head to the side in question.

"It's okay. Let's… play hide and seek, yeah?"

She met his gaze and beamed at him.

Ichigo could not help it but add, "There are monsters in there." Her eyes widened, but instead of in fear, they rounded in excitement. _Why I am not surprised?_ He thought with a sweat drop. This girl was Inoue after all. She was unique, extraordinarily optimistic and… really… beautiful. Ichigo mentally socked himself. Shaking his head, he continued, "Don't make a sound, okay?"

She opened her mouth to reply but she slapped her hands to her mouth and nodded.

Ichigo smiled simply. "Good girl."

Her eyes beamed at him.

"Alright… Uh…" _Wait… I have to carry her. _He did, tucking her easily under his arm. His coat completely hid her body and from outsider's point of view, it looked like he was carrying a small sack of rice. He marched down the pathway and opened the door.

"WELCOME HOME, ICHIGO!"

"Damn– crap!"_ No bad words! _"Get away from me!" Ichigo jumped back, deftly avoiding a roundhouse kick, protectively holding his bundle between his arm and hip.

"Daddy wants an I-am-home kiss!"

Ichigo cringed. "ARE YOU FUC— ARE YOU CRAZY!"

Isshin blinked curiously. _Huh?_

The boy glared menacingly, expressing each word with firmness. "I'LL BE IN MY ROOM. DOING MY ASSIGNMENT. MEANING… DON'T FUC— I mean, don't disturb me! Don't barge into my room like a crazy bull on drugs! Got it!"

"Are you going to study… biology?" Isshin wiggled his brows suggestively. Ichigo responded by throwing a shoe. The makeshift missile hit its target and Isshin toppled backward. On his way to his room, Karin appeared from the twin's room. Ichigo quickened his pace, almost running. Before Karin could question her brother about the weird thing under his arm, his bedroom door shut behind him loudly.

"Eh?"


	4. we are meant to fly and crash

**title. **a child's play **  
summary.** Ichigo groaned, almost heartbroken as he looked down at Inoue Orihime. Small, cute and, _yes, _flat-chested.**  
dedication. **star-chyan. the always-sick-fruitcake. XD because she's _always_ sick AND SHE DREW A CUTE TINY!HIME FANART OH HOLY FRUITY FRUITCAKE.  
**note.** so, um, yeah. it's still December and snowing in this story, oki? XD AHHH GAIZ I MISSED YOU DID YOU MISS ME TOO I GUESS NO BECAUSE I'VE BEEN POSTING SO MUCH AND I THINK YOU'RE ALL TIRED OF ME POSTING CRAP AFTER CRAP SOB SOB and most of all, i missed tiny!Hime~ cutie cute girl! thanks so much guys for reading and being awesome! you're all too kind! kiss, kiss. um, just dodge my flying kiss if you find it icky XD XD

gosh this a/n is LONG with lotsa exclamation points and XD. on to the story! (well, after disclaimer!)

**disclaimer.** applied, a-huh.**  
warning.** /

* * *

Orihime was standing in the middle of the room, her eyes large as she looked around, a look of awe filling her face.

Ichigo was working on his assignment diligently, his face twisted in a scowl. Time to time, the child will glance at him, eyes wide and moist. She bit her lip, looked down to her hands and lifted her face again, opening her mouth. But she would blush and shake her head, closing her mouth. Still biting her lip, she placed a small hand on her tummy, rubbing it in circles.

"Hey, you okay?"

Startled, the little girl looked up and immediately flashed a beaming smile. Ichigo smiled back faintly and went back to his desk, continuing his homework. Orihime approached his bed and patted it gently. Kon, who was hiding in one of his many drawers, poke his head out curiously, sniffing.

"Oi, Ichi– _ACCKK!_"

Orihime looked at Ichigo just in time to see the boy shoved something inside the drawer and shutting it, muttering under his breath. Feeling her eyes on him, Ichigo looked at the auburn-haired child who stared at him with wide eyes.

He offered a crooked, forced grin. "Hey." Orihime cocked her head to the side, her long hair slipping over her small shoulders and down to her back. "Wanna sit on my bed?" As usual, she beamed at him as a response, nodding eagerly. Ichigo, _again_, felt his ears go red.

"Okay," he mumbled and stood up from his chair. Smiling slightly, Ichigo reached down to her, slid his hands under her armpits and lifted her off the floor without so much of an effort. Gently, with a soft _plop_, he placed her on his bed.

She grinned at him.

"Thank you."

Again, that stupid blush. "No prob." Ichigo shrugged in an attempt to appear cool.

Orihime patted his bed. "Soft…"

Ichigo arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Un!" He watched her rub her palms on his bed sheet.

"Well… you can lie down if you want."

She nodded, smiling gratefully. "So kind…"

_Oh damn._ Her eyes were large, and were they really these bright? Ichigo felt another attack of a massive blush. He looked away quickly. Damn, he could feel the back of his neck heating up as well. "I have to finish my assignment, okay? But," he glanced at her over his shoulder after he sat down on his chair, "call me if you need something."

"Un!"

Ichigo sighed, rubbed the back of his neck and resumed working. After an hour, he heard Yuzu knock and announce that dinner was ready. He stretched, popping his shoulder joints before looking at his bed. Orihime was fast asleep, curled in a fetal position, her hands tucked under her cheek. She was still wearing her high-cut sneakers but she had made sure that her feet were dangling off the edge of his bed. Quietly, Ichigo crouched down and untied her sneakers, slipping the footwear off her. He shifted her until she was lying on the center of the bed. He straightened up, frowned down at her and thought: _damn, she's so small._

And too bright, with her caramel hair and yellow clothes.

Ichigo shook his head and exited the room.

_.

Few hours later, someone dared to poke his cheek. Ichigo grunted, his brows furrowing in his sleep. Another poke on his cheek, this time, it was harder. He turned his face away. The brave soul seemed to have a death wish because the next poking target was his shoulder. This time, there was pulling and pushing involved.

The constant pull at his sleeve finally woke Ichigo up. Annoyed, he cursed aloud, "Damn it, Kon!" He opened his eyes to glare at the infuriating menace but instead of a stuff toy, he was looking into a deep set of moist, gray eyes, as large as baby dragon's that it caught him off guard. He jerked, adrenaline rushing and sat up.

"I-Inoue…?!"

"I-Ichi…"

He blinked.

"What's wrong?" asked Ichigo quickly, a hint of panic lacing his tone at the sight of her small, distressed face. She was kneeling on the floor beside him; he had decided to sleep on the floor instead of sleeping next to her.

"Hey, what's up?" Stifling a yawn, he glanced up at his alarm clock. God, 1:00? What an ungodly hour to wake up.

"Um…" Orihime rocked back and forth, biting her bottom lip.

"Inoue?"

She looked up and Ichigo felt a wave of panic, seeing her wide, tearful eyes.

"S-Sorry…"

He was quick to reassure her. "It's alright." He placed his hands on her shoulders – god, she was goddamn small. "Tell me what's wrong. Are you hurt? Where does it hurt?" Deep inside, he was panicking. What the hell can he do for her if she was in pain? He could not handle a crying adult Inoue, least of all, a crying younger version of her.

"I… I…" She squeezed her eyes shut and held her stomach. There were tears gathering at the corner of her eyes and Ichigo was close to shaking her and demand what was wrong. It was somewhat scary, watching a little girl clutched her stomach and held her tears at bay.

Finally, she opened her eyes. Tears filled the corner of her eyes. She mumbled, "I'm…h-h-hun…gry…"

He gawked at her blankly, before comprehension dawned and guilt hit him hard.

_Oh shit._

He… _The hell. I forgot to feed her!_

Looking up to his face and seeing his expression, the girl reached up and tugged at his shirt. "S-so… sorry, Ichi…"

Ichigo stiffened and quickly shook his head. "No! It's okay. Oh shi – I'm sorry, Inoue. I forgot. Fu— I mean, sorry."

_Shit. I'm such a fucking heartless bastard. I forgot to feed a child!_

He was crashed by an awful amount of guilt, seeing her distressed face and her wide eyes. _Oh fuck. _Quickly, Ichigo lifted her off the floor while standing up, swinging her up and settling her to sit on the crook of his arm. Her small arms went around his neck and she slumped against him, her face on the side of his face.

"Let's get something to eat, OK?"

She nodded and peered into his face. "Sorry…"

"No!" Ichigo said firmly, a hand on her back. "It's okay. I'm glad you woke me up." He cleared his throat, averting his gaze upon realizing how close their faces were. "I'm sorry…"

"It's OK!" She smiled at him and Ichigo sighed. How compassionate. Quietly, he slipped out of his room and went down to the kitchen. He flicked the light switch on and placed her on a chair. "Stay there. And don't move," he added quickly in fear for her tumbling off the chair. He crossed the small room and opened the fridge. Thank goodness. There were several leftovers. Again, a stab of guilt pierced him. He was feeding a small child with leftovers.

Grunting, he reached inside and pulled out a plate of three riceballs and a carton of orange juice. The juice was safe to drink, he decided, after scanning the box for the best-before seal. He turned to their microwave and placed the riceballs inside. While waiting, he glanced at the girl over his shoulder. She was staring at him unblinkingly. When their eyes met, she flashed him a wide smile, traces of her previous distress gone. He managed to flash a weak grin in return, still guilt-ridden for forgetting to feed her.

_Ting._

She jumped in her chair and he suppressed a chuckle at her wide-eyed comical reaction. Without a flinch, he took out the reheated riceballs, placed them back on the plate and turned to the table. He placed the plate in front of her. He watched her eyes go wide, her mouth parting with a slight drool on the corner of her lips. The corner of his mouth turned up; even as a child, she unconsciously provided amusement with her childlike expressions.

"It's still hot, so be careful. Wait for a few seconds." He told her, turning to retrieve a small cup for the juice. He sat down on a chair beside her; with a tissue, he picked up a riceball and blew on it. He twitched uncomfortably as Orihime watched him, her small mouth still parted. Satisfied that it was safe for her to hold and eat, he offered it to her.

She held out her small palms.

"Touch it first. Still hot?" She shook her head. "OK." Orihime started to nibble on it, took a bite, chewed delicately and swallowed. Her whole face lit up and beaming, she looked up to him.

"De… uh, de… cious?"

He smirked. "Yes, it is." Her beaming smile widened.

"Thank you, Ichi."

He blushed, and to his horror, he was attacked by an image of adult Orihime calling him "Ichi". He turned his face away, hitting himself mentally for thinking something like that. "Y-You're welcome," he muttered. "Eat up, OK?" he added, his face still turned away, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

"Mmm!"

She ate with gusto, biting on the riceball carelessly and swallowing without even chewing properly.

"Hey, easy. The food's not going anywhere."

She giggled but obeyed, slowing down her chewing. Once done, she peeked at the plate and reached out a hand tentatively. Biting her lip, she looked up to him, as though asking for permission. Ichigo smiled faintly.

"Go on. They're all yours."

Her reaction was priceless, and Ichigo had to smile a genuine small smile as a huge smile spread over her face, her eyes shone with happiness as though he was some sort of hero. He patted her head gently.

"Eat up, okay? Chew slowly."

She nodded obediently.

_Such a nice kid. No wonder his brother loved her so much… _He knew her brother loved Inoue more as a daughter than a sister. He remembered Inoue Sora and remembered that the guy died in their clinic. He wondered… how would Inoue feel if she suddenly remembered that this was the place where her brother died? Ichigo banished those thoughts and realized Orihime was eating her last riceball. Sensing that she would have wanted more, he stood up to retrieve the plate of 2 slices of cake Yuzu bought earlier for dessert. He somehow knew that she liked sweet things. No, he _knew _she'd eat anything.

"Here." Orihime blinked at the two slices of custard cake. Again, her jaw dropped, rice crumbs all over her cheeks. "Want some cake, Inoue?" She grinned at him toothily as a reply and he could not help but chuckle at the mess she made around her mouth. Without thinking, he reached forward and wiped her mouth with his hand. Ichigo froze, suddenly realizing what he had done. He blushed furiously and started to splutter apologies.

"S-Sorry!"

The little girl only cocked her head to the side, a gesture now Ichigo understood as her way of expressing her confusion and curiosity. Still blushing and cursing himself for touching Inoue familiarly, he pushed the cake nearer to her and gave her a fork.

"E-eat! N-now!"

She nodded. "Thank you, Ichi."

He blushed even more. _Oh god. I am an idiot! Damn it!_ In few minutes (or was it seconds?), she swallowed the cake (oh god, how did she do THAT? Ichigo thought with horror) and beamed at him.

_She's really hungry…_

Realizing he was staring at her, he cursed and looked away, still red. "H-here! Drink some orange juice! It's… It's _fuck… _I-I mean, it's healthy!"

_I am an idiot._

He despaired.

"Thank you… Ichi is kind, v-very kind."

Again, a mental image of adult (and _with breasts_ Inoue) flashed before his eyes, mouthing his name. He dropped his face on to the table with a dull thump, cursing himself over and over again. _Damn it! This is so embarrassing!_

_Why am I getting flustered?! She's just a kid!_

Right. She was just a kid. The only problem was, however, it was _the_ Inoue Orihime.

He despaired even more. _Damn it…_

There was gasp and a mumble of "O-Oh no…"

Alert, Ichigo lifted his head from the table. "What… huh?"

"I… I'm so sorry… Sorry…" Somehow, the cup slipped from her tiny hands and the orange liquid splashed all over her front. She was trying hard not to cry, Ichigo could tell, her eyes pleading for forgiveness.

"Hey," Ichigo began, giving her a small smile, "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

Her lip trembled. He put a hand on top of her head. "Don't cry." He took the cup from her hands.

"Sorry…"

"Nah. It's cool." He stood up to dump the dishes on the sink and went back to her. She was looking down to the stained dress, looking extremely worried. "Don't worry, Inoue. Accidents happen. You'll have to change into something clean and dry."

She looked up to him, her eyebrows slanted above her large eyes. "Ichi…"

"Yeah…?"

"I… I d-don't have… this is my only… dress…"

Ichigo blinked at her.

_Shit._

Two thoughts hit him like a boulder.

One: she didn't have any extra clothes.

Two: he's going to see her _naked._


	5. star bright, star shine, star dust

**title. **star bright, star shine, star dust~**  
summary.** Ichigo groaned, almost heartbroken as he looked down at Inoue Orihime. Small, cute and, _yes, _flat-chested.**  
note.** yay~ new chapter. thanks for reading (and reviewing if you have time~ please, show me love, yes? XD)!

**disclaimer.** applied, disclaimed.

* * *

"Ichi?''

Ichigo snapped up in attention, looking down at her. He worked up something that she could recognize as a smile and bent down, hooking his large hands under her arms.

"Up, up, up." His awkward smile widened a little when the girl giggled, placing her small hands on his cheeks as he lifted her. She was beaming at him, and to Ichigo, it seemed that she was starting to feel comfortable around him. But of course, this _is Inoue._ She trusted people easily.

"Okay, we're going to find something for you to wear." At this, another blush colored his cheeks; damn, he had never blushed so often before.

"Ichi."

"Yeah?" He paused in the doorway of his room and looked at her small face. Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed, biting his lower lip as he stared at her, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. _Damn it. Why did she have to be this… this… this g-goddamn cute? _

He groaned mentally at the triteness of the word.

_I'm going to have a fucking nervous breakdown! _

Maybe this wasn't really a good idea. Once his father found out that a kid _this _cute was staying in their house, the crazy old man will freak out. As well as Yuzu who, like Rukia and Sado, was crazy about cute things. Remembering the dark-haired shinigami/pseudo-third sister/semi-mentor/full time nakama, Ichigo felt his right eye tic. Like his father, Rukia will have a crazy fit once she saw Orihime's new form.

"…are you…" she frowned a little, scrunching her small nose. "…okay?"

Ichigo stared at her for a while before smiling a little. "Yeah, don't worry." He entered his room and closed the door behind him. He lowered her to the floor and proceeded into digging inside his closet for some old clothes. Orihime waited patiently, watching the tall, tall man rummaged inside his cabinet and closet. Finally, he pulled out a white cardboard box and lowered it to the floor.

Orihime skipped over, watching him, her head to the side.

Ichigo poked around the box, pulling out clothes, shorts and some socks while looking up to Orihime occasionally to size her up. Most of these old clothes were when he was ten years old and he wasn't exactly puny and delicately framed back then.

"This one? Nah, too big. This? Ugh, violet is not your color, Inoue." He dug deeper, throwing out more shirts; Orihime was still waiting for him, looking at the small pile of clothes Ichigo had made beside him.

"Aha." She looked up to his face curiously; he was grinning slightly. "Come closer, Inoue." She did and Ichigo held it up in front of her. "Hmm." His frown was thoughtful. "This is the smallest t-shirt I could find." It was old and navy blue, and will look baggy on her small, thin frame. But old, navy blue and baggy t-shirt was so much better than a dress with sticky orange juice stain.

"I like it," chirped Orihime.

Ichigo smirked. "I'm glad you gave me your seal of approval," he said with a small grin. The girl giggled. Ichigo shifted around so that he was facing her. Sitting on the floor, they were of almost the same height (although he was still a few inches taller than her). He felt heat rise up in his cheeks as the corners of his mouth twitched.

_Damn… I'm g-going to see her…_ He told the leering voice inside his head to fuck off.

"S-So, u-um." He fucking didn't stutter, he did _not_.

Right? Right.

"Lift your arms." His voice was distinctly higher at the last word. _Damn you, getaboshi._ Yes. Blame the suspicious shopkeeper.

"Banzai!" cheered Orihime as she raised her arms. Ah. Inoue, trusty as ever; she trusted him before and she still trusted him now. This made him smile a little.

"Yeah, um, banzai," Ichigo mumbled and as quickly as he could (with one eye closed), he pulled off her stained dress, squeaked – _manly_, he reiterated – at the sight of her pale pink skin, cursed his Hollow which suddenly became interested in his predicament, and hurriedly and carelessly put the t-shirt on her, pulling the hem down to her knees.

_Shit. I thought I'm going to have a freaking heart attack!_ Ichigo thought in despair, shoulders slumped while his fingers still clung on the hem of the shirt. His heartbeat and pulse were erratic, as well as his respiration. _Oh damn… this is fucking torture._

"Ichi…"

Her soft voice sort of lifted his spirit. He remembered how much she trusted him. He looked up to her; she looked confused, her lips in a small pout.

"Inoue?"

She offered him a small smile. "Ano…" Her large eyes blinked and when she stared at him owlishly, he resisted the urge to do a Chad and coo. _Damn._ He'd have to stay away from Chad. The big guy's weakness to cute things was fast becoming contagious.

"…Where are my arms?"

Ichigo gawked. _Arms?_ He blinked and looked down. _The hell!_ Her arms were trapped inside the shirt. He forgot to instruct her to insert her arms in the armholes. He groaned at his stupidity and – _King, you're a fucking retard._

Shut up, bastard.

After properly putting the shirt on, he helped her climb onto his bed. They rarely get snowstorms in Karakura but the snow had been falling steadily, as well as the temperature. As he studied her closely, he noted how her yellow striped socks clashed horribly with her navy blue shirt.

He had no fashion sense, he realized.

"Alright, go back to sleep, Inoue." Ichigo watched her slip under the covers. "Inoue, don't stay on that side, you might roll off. There's a lot of space for you, you know."

She patted the space next to her. "This is for Ichi."

"What? Inoue—"

"Ichi can sleep here."

"I'm fine. I'll just–"

"But Ichi," she began, her brows furrowed in worry, her large eyes filling her face, "the aliens might get you!" she said in a hushed whisper as though she was telling him a secret. "The aliens hide under the bed, Ichi!"

Ichigo stared at her for a minute before conceding. "Alright." He snatched his pillow and blankets from the floor. Carefully, he lay down next to her and switched off his bedside lamp. He glanced at her and he thought he felt her smile.

"Good night, Ichi," he heard her murmur against the blanket which covered her chin and cheeks.

"Yeah…" He whispered back, smiling a little. Ichigo made sure she was asleep before closing his eyes.

_**&**.

"IIIIIII—"

His brown eyes snapped open.

"—CHIIIIIII…"

_Shit._

"…_GO!_"

A loud snapping sound that resembled an exploding firecracker filled the air as the door slammed against the wall. A human missile hurtled inside his room. Ichigo sprung up and delivered a flying kick, hitting Isshin in the face.

"Shut up, stay down," Ichigo hissed. Isshin made a choking noise but Ichigo delivered another kick, sending his father outside and slamming to a wall. "AND STAY OUT!" With that, he kicked his door and it closed with a loud slam. A second passed and he stiffened, remembering Inoue's slumbering form.

"Shit." He turned to his bed. Thankfully, the girl remained asleep, mouth opened with a thin sliver of drool on her chin. He sighed, scratching his head. Quickly, he prepared for school, taking a 5 minute shower, changing clothes and gathering his school things. Ready and dressed, Ichigo shook the girl awake.

"Inoue… Hey, wake up."

"N-No… Pumpkin man…"

Ichigo smirked. "No, it's not the pumpkin man. Come on, time to wake up." Her eyes opened blearily, her small hands rubbing her face as she sat up.

"I-Ichi…?"

"Hey."

She looked up to him. "Ohayo…"

Ichigo felt the corner of his mouth turn up. "Morning,"

Her eyebrows furrowed above her large eyes as she pointed at his clothes.

"I'm not going to leave you here." She brightened up. Ichigo cleared his throat. "Come on, I… uh, let's go." He lifted her off the bed. "Here, I have some clothes for you. Can you… um, take a bath... by yourself?"

She blinked up to him. "Bath…?"

Ichigo felt his Hollow grin with malice. _Interesting…_

Shut up.

Heart pounding, he made gestures with his hand. "You know… Bath?"

She pouted, cheeks puffing out as she tried to understand his gesticulations. Despaired, Ichigo gave up and said, "Alright, come on…"

Vaguely, he heard his Hollow gave a whoop.

_**&**.

Just eight o'clock in the morning and Ichigo was already stressed. Seeing Inoue naked was not supposed to be a big deal. After all, he had sisters whom he had taken care of when they were younger. But alas, this kid was not some random kid or a relative. This was Inoue Orihime. And to Ichigo, it didn't feel right to see her…

_Damn. What's wrong with me? She's just a kid, get the fuck over it!_

True, there were no breasts or long legs to ogle at but still… The more he thought of it, the more stressed out he felt. Looking down at the auburn-haired child walking next to him, his face softened slightly. She was gripping his pants with her small fist. She was dressed in one of his old t-shirts, her yellow Chucks, socks, overlarge purple and white knitted beanie with earflaps and Yuzu's old pink jacket. Ichigo felt heat rise up in his cheek as he remembered looking for his sisters' old underwear and the stress he went through trying to find a suitable pair for Orihime.

From a corner, Sado appeared.

"Ichigo."

"Chad." Sado bent down at Orihime's level, a faint dust of pink coloring his tanned cheek.

"Inoue." The girl beamed at him toothily and the faint blush grew. Ichigo shook his head, smirking slightly.

"I'm going to bring her to Shoten, do you wanna come?"

"Why," asked Sado as he straightened up.

Ichigo put a hand on top of Orihime's head. "I can't leave her alone in my room. After class, I'll go get her back."

Sado nodded. "We have to hurry. We have ten minutes."

"What?" exclaimed Ichigo. "The hell… Alright." He looked down to Orihime who was looking up to him. "Hey, want me to carry you?" he asked quietly. "This way we'll be—"

"Ichigo!"

The orange haired made a mistake to look up. A hand slapped the top of his head. "The fu–" He bit his tongue before he could complete the vulgar word. "Rukia! Renji!" He yelled. "Who the fuc— who hit me!"

Renji raised a brow. "Interesting. You're trying to be polite, punk?"

"Shut up!" barked Ichigo. "What are you doing here? Go back to where you belong!"

Rukia scowled. "What the hell is wrong with your attitude? Is that how you treat your friends, you bastard?"

"Shh! Don't say bad words!" Ichigo chided.

One of her elegant eyebrows shot up to her hairline. But Rukia was not impressed. "You are an idiot," she said flatly. Her gaze caught something purple and white, big doe eyes and… Rukia's blue eyes widened in shock, then in anger.

"BAKA!" she roared, kicking Ichigo's shin. "WHO IS THAT? HOW DARE YOU KNOCKED UP SOME OTHER GIRL? WHAT ABOUT INOUE? I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, ICHIGO!"

"What the he— Rukia! What was that for? And stop yelling! You're scaring her!" Ichigo put a hand on top of Orihime's head who whimpered in shock and apprehension.

"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION! WHO IS THAT LITTLE GIRL? DID YOU KNOCK UP SOMEONE?"

"Shut up!" Ichigo hissed, feeling the little girl grip his leg with both of her arms in fright. "You're scaring In—"

"It's Inoue," Sado interrupted. Rukia and Renji arched their brows. And then, Rukia's eyes widened again as she swiveled her head around to glare at Ichigo.

"ICHIGO!" She thundered, causing the little girl to jump and whimper, clutching his pant leg even tighter. "YOU AND INOUE HAD A DAUGHTER? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME, YOU BASTARD! DID YOU MARRY HER? I SWEAR IF YOU HURT HER—"

"Shut up, Rukia! For god's sake, you're scaring Inoue!" Ichigo snapped, turning to the little girl whose eyes were shining with unshed tears.

Rukia and Renji looked down at the girl clutching at Ichigo's leg.

"P-Please… D-D-Don't… fight. D-D-Don't h-h-hurt… Ichi…" the girl whimpered shakily, hugging Ichigo's leg tightly, her big doe eyes wide and teary.

Rukia blinked a couple of times. "I… _Inoue?_"

"Took you long enough, midget," snarled Ichigo, patting Inoue's head soothingly.

"But… But…" Rukia studied the little girl closely. "What happened to her boobs?"

A vein throbbed in Ichigo's forehead. "Don't talk about Inoue like that!"

"But…" Renji tilted his head to the side. "What happened?"

"Ask Urahara," Ichigo answered sharply. "It's his godda— I mean, it's his fault!"

"Tch. That bastard," snorted Rukia, scowling.

"Shut it!" Ichigo snapped. "Don't say bad words in front of Inoue!"

"Eh? Right." Rukia crouched in front of Inoue. "Wow… she's cute." Ichigo grunted, looking away grumpily. Renji grinned wolfishly. Rukia smiled. "Hi, Inoue!"

Orihime moved slightly to hide behind Ichigo's leg. "H-Hi…"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Great. You scared her." Rukia sent him a withering glare and with a smile, the shinigami took Inoue in her arms and lifted her. "Rukia! Be careful! You'll drop her!" yelled the substitute.

"Oh shut up. I'm not going to hurt Inoue! Wow~ how adorable! She looks like this when she was younger? Man, she looks like a doll!" Rukia squeezed the little girl in her arms, rubbing her cheek against Inoue's rosy, smaller cheek. "You're so cute, Inoue!" A distant sound of bell caught their ears.

"Crap! We're going to be late, Chad! Look, Rukia." He looked at the smaller girl. "Can you take Inoue to Shoten? I'll come later to pick her up."

Rukia looked up to him. "She's staying with you?"

"Yeah. Can you?"

"No problem. I'm going to play with her for the meantime."

Ichigo didn't trust her but he had no choice. "Just don't go roughhousing her, got it? And don't forget to feed her–"

"Ichigo," said Sado, reminding him.

"Wait a sec. And don't let her get out of your sight, got it? Rukia! Are you listening?" snapped Ichigo irritably.

The shinigami glared. "Why, you think I'm gonna let Inoue get hurt?"

Ichigo gritted his teeth. "Just take care of her, will you?" He turned to Orihime. "Hey," he said quietly and softly. His eyebrows twitched in concern when she looked into his eyes.

"Ichi…"

He was quick to reassure her. "Don't worry. I'll see you later, okay?"

She smiled, her arms wrapped around Rukia's neck. "H-Hai…"

Ichigo frowned deeply, mouth in a scowl. He bit his lip and hesitantly turned to go, following Sado.


	6. oh daddy,

**title. **a child's play**  
summary.** Ichigo groaned, almost heartbroken as he looked down at Inoue Orihime. Small, cute and, _yes, _flat-chested.**  
note.** yay~ NEW CHAPTER! i'm sorry this is _so _late ^_^" reminders, yes, it is still December in this story hence the snow, the chill, the cold, the… um, Yuletide season? :D also! rating is changed from k+ to t. thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

**disclaimer.** applied, disclaimed.

* * *

"Hurry up, will you!" Ichigo snapped over his shoulder. His pace was frantic; he was infuriated and worried for Inoue's welfare. True, he trusted Rukia, but Rukia, she was not exactly motherly, at least in his opinion. His already fast pace grew quicker, cursing the snow and slippery sidewalk. At the familiar sight of Urahara Shoten, his pace accelerated which eventually turned into a jog and into a full sprint. Sado and Ishida followed.

"Inoue!" Ichigo called out as soon as he entered the courtyard, looking around frantically.

"Ichi?"

He perked up at her small voice. He easily found her, wearing bright, overlarge purple and white knitted beanie with large earflaps and knitted strings. She was kneeling on the snow-covered ground, wide-eyed, her small hands bare and cradling a big snowball.

A strained, relieved smile curved his lips. "Hey."

He saw her face light up, a smile filling her face. "Ichi!" She dropped the snowball and struggled to stand up; she failed a couple of times which made Ichigo smile. At her fourth try, she ungracefully succeeded and ran towards him.

With a small smile, he met her halfway; he was worried that she might trip and fall on her face. He bent down and hooked his hands under her arms. She squealed in delight and threw her small arms around his neck, hugging him tight. "Ichi…" Ichigo supported her weight on the crook of his forearm, a hand on her small back.

"Hey," he murmured, his gloved hands rubbing her back. "You okay?"

She pulled away from his neck and beamed at him, nodding enthusiastically. She blinked and looked behind him; seeing familiar faces, she smiled at Sado and Ishida.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo insisted.

"Ruu… Ruu… Uh…" A frown wrinkled her brows as she tried to say Rukia's name.

"Rukia?" He supplied with a lopsided smile. Orihime nodded.

"Un! She… very nice!"

"That's good. What did you eat for lunch?"

Blinking her large eyes at him, she screwed up her eyes, cocking her head to the side. "Ah!" She raised one arm, her stubby forefinger pointing up to the sky. Ichigo, Sado and Ishida raised their brows.

"The snow melts in my mouth very fast!"

The three males gawked, flabbergasted. Ishida spluttered some words; Ichigo recovered first, a particularly large vein throbbing in his temple. Gritting his teeth, he stomped towards the shop, fully intending to kick the doors open and find Rukia, her faithful redheaded monkey and Urahara. However, before his foot could make contact with the sliding doors, the doors slid open, revealing the blond in striped green and white bucket hat.

"Oho~ Kurosaki-saaaan! I am crushed. Here to take away Inoue-chan?"

"You suspicious shopkeeper!" yelled Ichigo. "What the hell have you been feeding to Inoue!" he roared, completely forgetting his vow not to swear in front of the child. Urahara pouted, confused.

"Only the best, Kurosaki-san," answered Urahara.

"Only the best! Liar! You…" Ichigo gritted his teeth. "She said the snow melts in her mouth! You fed _her _snow?"

The fan snapped shut. "Jinta-kun." The red-haired boy stiffened at Urahara's uncharacteristically stern tone.

"What!" the redhead said loudly. "I swear I didn't do anything— WHAT THE! TESSAI LET ME GO!" Tessai lifted the boy by the neck of his shirt. Jinta flailed his legs but to no avail. The distance between Jinta's feet and the ground increased to a yard… and another yard and another— "ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I TOLD HER THAT SNOWDROPS ARE CANDIES!"

Ichigo gripped Orihime closer to his chest, barring his teeth. "You…" He made a move to grab the infuriating redheaded boy but Urahara hit his wrist with the fan.

"Oi, oi~ you're not setting a good example for Inoue-chan."

Ichigo breathed deeply and made a mental note not to leave Orihime in Urahara Shoten ever again. He wrapped a protective arm around the girl's small frame.

"Ichi?"

He was quick to reassure her. "It's okay, Inoue. By the way, oi," he nodded at Urahara ("Quit hitting me, Tessai! It's not my fault if she likes candies— OUCH! OUCH!"). "Are you done with the antidote?"

"Why?" Urahara sang behind his fan. "Already tired looking after Cutie-chan?"

"No! I'm just–"

"Or maybe, you miss her delightful curves?"

Ichigo flushed, face beet red. "SHUT UP AND DO NOT TALK ABOUT INOUE LIKE THAT!"

"How loud. Anyway, I will, of course, inform you as soon as possible. Ne, ne, Inoue-chan~" The child looked at him and grinned, "Did you miss Daddy? I missed Inoue-chan~" Then, the blond ex-captain grinned. "But I guess Inoue-chan likes Kurosaki-san more~ Daddy is very sad!"

Gasping, the child uncurled her arms around Ichigo's neck and reached for Urahara, much to Ichigo's annoyance. "Daaaaa~" Gently, Ichigo took her arms in one hand and tucked the child's hands under his chin.

"Shut up, you shady shopkeeper!"

Urahara laughed gaily. "Just kidding, Inoue-chan!" He patted the child's head. Ichigo glared and swatted the older man's hand away.

"Hurry up with the antidote!"

"Hai! Let me assure you! We will see the beautiful, alluring, hourglass figure of pretty lady Inoue-san very soon!"

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO TALK ABOUT INOUE LIKE THAT!"

**_&.**

_Damn that hat and clogs man!_ Ichigo seethed as he walked home. Sado and Ishida had both went home, leaving Ichigo and Orihime together. His bad mood continued, however, when he reached his destination: a convenience store.

"Whoa~ that's a very nice looking kid, mister!" the clerk cooed.

"Hn." He grunted, waiting for the clerk to bag his items: a dorayaki, an apple juice, and two bars of chocolate bar.

"She's going to be a knockout beauty someday."

"Hn."

"But you know, you're too young to be a dad. But hey, it's a trend, right, so it's alright?"

The vein throbbed, stretched and snapped. "You know what, why don't you shut _up?_"

Infuriated, Ichigo stepped out of the convenience store, looked at Orihime who was staring at him and tried to smile, which he knew appeared strained. He crouched down to adjust and tie the strings of her winter hat under her chin, lifted her up in his arm again and continued to walk home. However, he heard a scurry of footsteps behind him. Wary, his grip tightening around Orihime protectively, he slowly and cautiously looked over his shoulder, ready to kick the stalker if necessary.

However, seeing who was scurrying after him, Ichigo merely lifted a confounded brow.

"Rangiku-san?"

Sparkling blue eyes in a perfect face were dancing in mirth. "Ichigo~!"

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Soul Society, _working,_" Ichigo added dryly.

Rangiku pouted. "Duh, it's winter vacation! I am entitled to enjoy the yuletide season! Anyway…" Her blue eyes widened when they landed on the child Ichigo was carrying in his right arm. Large gray eyes blinked innocently, causing Rangiku to coo and forget her initial outburst.

"What a pretty kid! Where did you get that?"

Ichigo twitched. "What do you mean 'where did I get _that?_' She's not an object!"

Rangiku waved a long-fingered hand as if to dismiss his words. "Anyway, that's not the point." Her facial expression suddenly became fierce. "I can't believe you! I thought we have this mutual, cosmic-level understanding that you will _only _knock up Orihime-chan and only Orihime-chan?"

A look of horror passed Ichigo's face at Rangiku's blunt words. "W-What the hell are you trying to say! First of all, Inoue—" The child looked at him curiously, "S-She… Look, I respect her and… and… Don't say stupid things!" he yelled. "Just go back where you belong!"

"How rude!" Rangiku huffed. "I'm just saying this in behalf of Orihime-chan! How dare you bang someone else behind her back! What will Orihime-chan say and feel?"

All the talk about 'banging' someone caused Ichigo's brain to short circuit. "Stop talking nonsense! I didn't…" He glared at the blonde woman and hissed, "Look, _this_ is Inoue, got it? So stop talking nonsense and just leave us alone!"

"What do you mean… that's Orihime-chan!" Rangiku gasped, eyes round. "What… What happened to her boobs?"

"What the… Rangiku-san!" he growled, a vein throbbing in his temple. "Not that stupid line _again!_"

Rangiku ignored Ichigo and startling both the child and the teen, the blonde shinigami in gigai grabbed the girl from Ichigo's arm. Ichigo clenched his jaw to suppress a curse.

"Hey!" Ichigo snapped, eyes narrowed as Rangiku cooed and bounced the child rather roughly.

"How cute! Orihime-chaaaan, your eyes are as big as your boobs!"

Ichigo's face pinched. His eyes rounded in panic, however, when Rangiku hugged the child, burying Orihime's small face between her large breasts. "Oi! You're going to kill her, damn it!" Ichigo, as gently as he can, took the child from Rangiku's grasp, his large hands tucked in Orihime's armpits as he held her in front of his face. The little girl stared back, wide-eyed and flushed, tears slowly filling the corner of her large eyes. Her lower lip was cutely quivering as she mumbled his name.

"I-Ichi…"

Seeing Orihime's teary eyes, Ichigo's eyebrows went up in panic.

"It's okay, Inoue, don't cry!" He pulled her closer to his chest and the girl instantly brought her arms around his neck, clinging to him. Ichigo snapped a glare at Rangiku's direction. "Look at what you've done! She's not a toy! Stop treating her like one!"

For Rangiku's part, she looked genuinely sorry for a while before smiling. "I can't help it! Orihime-chan is just so cute!"

"That's not an excuse!" Ichigo snapped, turning to leave.

"Mou, don't make a pass to a child, Ichigo!" Rangiku called after him. Ichigo only gritted his teeth in annoyance.

**_&.**

Ichigo plopped down on the bench with a grunt, Inoue sitting on his lap, facing and staring up at him. He should have known; Rukia and Renji had set off the string of annoying people appearing to annoy him.

"Ichi?"

Ichigo blinked at looked down at Orihime. She was looking up at him curiously, a small hand tugging at his jacket. At the sight of her pink face filled with innocence, he felt the corner of his mouth quirk up. He patted her head gently and rummaged inside the bag.

"Here," he said, handing her a dorayaki which the child gratefully accepted. He watched her nibble on the sweet bun with a relaxed frown, lips in a thin smile. Blinking up at him, the little girl gave him a beaming smile.

"I like Ichi," she said clearly, cheerfully. Ichigo promptly blushed, a muscle twitching in his jaw in surprise. Unfazed, the girl continued, "I like Ichi very much."

He faked a cough to hide his visibly red face behind his hand. "T-Thanks," he mumbled, blushing even brighter as the girl smiled happily, reaching out to grip the front of his jacket while nibbling on the dorayaki. Awkwardly, he patted her head gently.

He continued to watch her; she, she was such a fragile little thing. However, he knew, despite her gentleness, she was one – if not the most– of the most powerful individuals he had met. Her powers were simple, harmless even, but if analyzed correctly, they were, in fact, subtly dangerous. He was not exactly delighted that those powers chose Orihime; oh, he was proud of her healing powers, but still, those powers made Orihime a target. But there was nothing to worry about, was there? He will protect her at all costs.

He often wondered why he was almost obsessed in protecting her. He was adamant in protecting others too, most importantly his family and his friends. But those feelings of protectiveness towards his family and friends were normal, weren't they? He can successfully separate his feelings of protectiveness towards his family and allies from the feelings he felt towards Orihime. At first, he attributed it to his overprotective instincts kicking in, but as time passed, he didn't know anymore.

Things had changed; actually _no_, there were developments – confusing and strange developments. For the past few months, he always find himself needing to know where she was, who she was with, what was she doing; he had made efforts to subtly find out the answers, hiding behind scowls and a pretense of checking on her because she was accident-prone.

What made the whole thing _irritating _was he didn't even know _why_ he _needed_ to know.

He sighed tiredly. Analyzing feelings was not his forte. It triggered migraines, annoying migraines.

He felt an insistent tug, shaking him out of his stupor. He looked at Inoue and found her looking up to him with a worried frown, silently asking him if he was okay. The corner of his mouth lifted in a small smile. "I'm fine." He took the juice box from the bag, punched the hole with a straw and gave it to her. She beamed thankfully. "Ready to go?" he asked to which the little girl responded with an enthusiastic nod. He stuffed the chocolate bars in his bag before lifting Orihime.

He walked home silently. After discarding the empty juice box, he entered the house. He had already opened the door, announced his arrival when a thought hit him: _Shit._

He forgot to hide Orihime.

"ICHIGOOOOOOOO!"

Like a cannonball, Isshin flew in a perfect arc, fully intending to kick his son in the face as an 'affectionate' greeting. However, upon seeing his son and the little girl he was carrying in his arms, his eyes bulged and he froze in midair before crashing hard on the floor. Yuzu and Karin appeared, alarmed by the noise.

"Daddy!" Yuzu called out worriedly. Isshin jumped back to his feet in a flash.

"ICHIGO!" He thundered, causing the walls of their house to vibrate and Ichigo to twitch. "W-WHO'S THAT?" Yuzu and Karin looked where their father was pointing at. Both girls gasped.

"N-No… NO! Don't tell me… Y-YOU HAVE A DAUGHTER! H-HOW D-DARE Y-YOU! HOW COULD —" Isshin clenched his fists in front of his face and sobbed, "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ORIHIME-CHAN! ?"


	7. ribbit rabbit ribbit

**title. **a child's play**  
summary.** Ichigo groaned, almost heartbroken as he looked down at Inoue Orihime. Small, cute and, _yes, _flat-chested.**  
note.** thank you oh so very much for reading and reviewing! :3 sorry it's so late! please enjoy!

**disclaimer.** disclaimed.

* * *

Ichigo spluttered. "What the – what on earth did _I_ do to Inoue?"

A fierce look replaced the ridiculous agony on Isshin's face as he straightened up to his full height. "What a preposterous question!" he bellowed, pointing at his son. "No, no, _no! _All this time, you've been cheating on beautiful Orihime-chan! _How dare you! _I can't believe Masaki-chan and I produced an inconsiderate, two-timer offspring!"

Ichigo was flabbergasted at his father's quick mood changes. From being tearful to fierce and then back to being tearful. He was aware that women tend to possess quirky mood swings, but to see his own father manifesting the mentioned quirkiness was bizarre. And annoying. Most of all, that dig about his character was unacceptable. He can be anything – jerk, ass, monster, but never a two-timer bastard.

"You idiot…! I'm not cheating on Inoue– wait, she and I – W-we're not–"

Yuzu interrupted his blushing stammering. "Onii-chan, are you going to leave us soon? B-But you're still in high school! You're too young to be a dad and–"

"Yuzu, this is not what it looks like–"

"So, your genes are not messed up?" Karin added. "That's a good-looking kid."

Ichigo twitched. "This is–"

"MASAKI-CHAAAAAAN~ please forgive me for failing to educate our boy about the miracles of condoms and–" Ichigo threw a shoe and it hit the back of Isshin's head.

"Shut it, old man! Listen to me first before sniveling! This is Inoue— I mean—"

At once, Isshin's tears froze up. The twins gasped. "O-O-O-O-O-Orihime-chan…" stammered Isshin and he fell down to his knees with a loud thud.

Seeing his family's reaction, Ichigo hastened to elaborate. "What I mean is—"

"T-THAT'S _YOUR _AND ORIHIME-CHAN'S DAUGHTER?" bellowed Isshin before bursting in tears. Yuzu, almost instantly, joined in the waterworks. Ichigo opened his mouth to correct the wrong conclusion but Isshin continued. "I-I-I-I can't believe it! Y-You're n-not gay!" Isshin sniveled. "I'm so proud of you! You are _now _my son – a real Kurosaki!"

"W-wait —"

"Wow…" For once, Karin had nothing sarcastic to say. And _for once_, she was proud that Ichigo was her brother. After all, Inoue Orihime was level-A type of girl. For his grumpy, unpopular brother to snag one of the prettiest girls, it was a _miracle._

Brightly blushing, Ichigo shook his head and waved a hand frantically. "D-Don't be stupid! It's not what you think! This is … This is Inoue's niece!" Ichigo inwardly winced. What a lame lie. "She's out of town and she asked me look after her for a while!"

Isshin stopped blabbering happily and he and the twins blinked at Ichigo. It was Karin who recovered first, her previous admiration now forgotten. "I don't believe you," she deadpanned.

A vein bulged on Ichigo's forehead. "It's the truth! Now, stop making a scene!" In the background, Isshin proceeded to cry in front of his deceased wife's poster, and this time, it was to mourn.

"Damn. I knew it _was not _possible. You and Orihime, _no way,_" Karin grumbled. "And that's Yuzu's old jacket."

"I know."

Karin narrowed her eyes. "Did you steal some old underwear too?"

Ichigo felt a vein stretch and snap in his temple. "I'll be in my room!" He stormed past his family and thundered up the stairs. When he reached his room, he got inside and closed the door with his foot. With an annoyed grunt, he sat down on his bed and placed Orihime on his lap. The little girl stared up at him in wonder, her eyes wide and curious. Looking at her somewhat soothed his frayed nerves.

A gentle smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Sorry. You had to witness that. My father is crazy," he said with a roll of his eyes. Orihime giggled cutely. He untied the knot below her chin and took off her winter hat. He was about to untie her shoelaces when a knock hit his door, followed by the sound of Karin's voice.

"Oi, Tatsuki's here."

Ichigo grimaced visibly. The last person he wanted to deal with was Tatsuki. True, she knew what he was, what Orihime was capable of and the whole story about Soul Society and Aizen, but he was not sure how Tatsuki would react to Orihime's current situation. It was Urahara's responsibility to explain and receive corporeal punishment from Tatsuki's fists.

Quickly, he untied Orihime's shoelaces and slid off her shoes. He set her on the bed. "Stay here, OK? Wait for me and we'll eat dinner together, okay?" he told her quietly to which she responded with an enthusiastic 'Un!'. He stood up from his crouching position and opened his bedroom door. Karin was standing in the hallway.

"She's pissed," said Karin with a shrug. Ichigo winced and left to deal with the scary dragon. Curious and half fascinated, Karin peeked inside. The little auburn-haired girl looked up from staring at her socked feet to meet Karin's gaze. Friendly as ever, Orihime flashed a beaming smile.

Karin twitched. "Crap. She's so cute…"

**_&.**

As soon as he made a sound indicating his arrival, Tatsuki whirled around – so fast it startled Ichigo.

"Tatsuki."

"You," Tatsuki snarled_. _"What's Orihime doing here?"

As usual, his initial response was to deny. "What are you talking about? She's not here." He knew it was futile to lie; this was Tatsuki after all.

"I'm not a fool, idiot!" the girl snapped. "She's inside! I can feel her presence here. It's weak, like it was suppressed or something but I am _sure _it's her." Abruptly, Tatsuki's eyes narrowed ominously. "Are you doing perverted things to her?"

Ichigo stepped back as though he was hit. "What! Hell _no! _I'm not a pervert!"

"Then, she's here! I want to see her! She's absent today and her apartment is empty. I'm worried, you know."

Ichigo sighed, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Fine. You're right. Inoue's here but you can't see her right now. I can't explain why. It's complicated."

"Uncomplicate it then! I _want _to see her now," Tatsuki insisted.

"Can you just wait until tomorrow?" groused Ichigo.

Tatsuki glared at him. "I want to see her _now._"

"No. Tomorrow." Ichigo scowled back.

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"You're gay."

"Ye— _What the hell, _Tatsuki!"

Tatsuki grunted and threw her hands in the air. "Fine! Tomorrow, then! Touch her and I'll crack your skull _open._" The girl added with emphasis on each syllable, gesturing with two hands.

"I told you, I'm _not _a pervert!" He'd never grope a _child, _for goodness' sake.

"Pfft. She'd probably let you." Tatsuki turned to go, eyes in slits, but without making another threat. "Make sure your explanation will make sense or else." She made a slashing gesture under her chin. Ichigo rolled his eyes and went back inside. He scowled at the lengthy and tearful monologue his father was having in front of his mother's poster, before making his way back to his room.

"I'm ba — Huh… What the…" A pair of large eyes stared up at him. He saw two protruding long ears, white cloth and… a tail? His eyes bulged. "_Yuzu!_"

His blonde sister twisted her neck around to look up to him. "Yes?"

"What are _you _doing?" demanded Ichigo.

Yuzu laughed. "She's just so cute!" The young girl pouted. "I could not resist!"

Ichigo groaned. "Yuzu, she's not a doll! Why did you dress her up in a white bunny suit? You have your stuffed lion to play dress up with!" The said toy was cowering inside one of his drawers.

"But Onii-chan—"

"Konbanwa, minna-san~" a familiar, fake saccharine voice piped in. Ichigo and Yuzu jumped and looked around. Rukia, wearing Karakura High School's uniform, curtsied at them. Still wearing her 'typical high school, teenage girl' face, she greeted Yuzu. The younger girl greeted back. "I am quite pleased to see you again, Rukia-chan!"

"Thank you for your kind words! I, too, feel the same way." Rukia's gaze zeroed in on the small, fidgeting thing in white bunny suit. Orihime looked up. Recognizing Rukia, the little girl beamed at her. Instantly, Rukia froze up, eyes as wide as saucers. Ichigo swore he saw a burst of metaphorical sparkles in the background as Rukia stuttered reverently, "C-Chappy!" Without hesitation and as if possessed, the shinigami lost all pretenses and enveloped Orihime in a tight, bear hug, eliciting a surprised squeak from the little girl.

A tic developed in Ichigo's temple. "Rukia… It's not your toy! Let her go!"

Rukia pulled away but kept Orihime wrapped in her arms, her eyes sparkling. "But it's…"

"Let _go,_" Ichigo growled. Rukia looked up at him, her brows scrunching together in a frown.

"I think you have a complex," Rukia commented flatly. Ichigo's eyes widened, turning a deep, ridiculous shade of magenta.

"W-WHAT!" stammered Ichigo. "Don't be stupid! I-I _don't _have a complex!" Rukia shrugged dismissively and continued to hug Orihime. "Don't hug her like that! How do you expect her to breathe when you cling to her like that?"

Yuzu tilted her head to the side curiously. "Why are you so possessive, Onii-chan?"

Ichigo spluttered more, growing more flustered. His face displayed several colors, some of which were unhealthy and did not normally belong to a human, before settling into a more normal red hue. Ichigo's ears began to color as well. "I… I'm _not _possessive! And you!" he yelled in the general direction of Rukia, "Don't squeeze her so hard!"


	8. scratch!

**title. **a child's play**  
summary.** Ichigo groaned, almost heartbroken as he looked down at Inoue Orihime. Small, cute and, _yes, _flat-chested.**  
note.** thanks oh so much for reading and reviewing! :D thank you, thank you, thank you! :) this fic is so fun to write, a stress-reliever, to be precise! i hope you guys continue to enjoy this weird fic :D if there are errors, please do tell! thank you!

**disclaimer.** Bleach (c) Kubo. oh woe is me. :D

* * *

The corner of Tatsuki's mouth twitched.

Large doe eyes blinked up at her and the twitches progressed in frequency until a tic developed in her temple.

"Are you shitting me?" Tatsuki asked, finally shattering the tense silence.

At once, Ichigo spoke from her right. "Hey, watch your language!" The karate champion rolled her eyes and uncrossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Are you telling me that _this_ is Orihime?" grilled Tatsuki, ignoring Ichigo. "Last time I checked, she has boobs." Tatsuki emphasized her point by making groping gestures with both hands.

Ichigo slammed a palm on the floor, causing Orihime to jump in surprise. "Tatsuki," he hissed, his eyebrows twitching. "You're the third person who mentioned…" Tatsuki raised an eyebrow at him when he trailed off, his face burning with bright magenta color.

"Boobs," she said flatly. Tatsuki could fairly visualize an artery rupturing inside Ichigo's head.

"_Don't _say it so casually!"

"Fine, you virgin," Ichigo spluttered but Tatsuki made a dismissive handwave and turned to glare at the blond shopkeeper. "I believe you have an acceptable explanation for this?"

Urahara giggled behind his fan. "Well~ it's not my fault if Inoue-chan likes candies very much!"

"This is not premeditated, I _trust_?" Tatsuki was calm, smiling even, but Ichigo knew what lie beneath the calm exterior. After all, this was Orihime's fire-breathing, man-eating dragon.

"Of course not~ Inoue-chan is a well-loved customer! You wound me, Arisawa-san!"

"Anyway," Rukia intervened before Tatsuki could gnaw Urahara's head off and play soccer with it. "This is temporary, is it not?" The rest of the occupants of the room glanced at the little girl who was staring at the dark-colored cat, obviously fascinated with the animal. Her wide eyes religiously followed every movement of Yoruichi's tail.

While they discussed, Orihime was slowly and very carefully crawling towards the oblivious cat. Her eyes held a determined glint, her lower lip under her small white teeth. A small hand was slowly reaching forward. Finally, small stubby fingers wrapped themselves around the tail and without warning, Orihime gave a powerful yank, put the tail in her mouth and bit hard.

Yoruichi jerked and her fur stood up. "MEOWRRR!"

_Scratch._

The conversation stopped as heads turned. "Inoue, what…" Ichigo paused when the little girl turned to look at him.

Tears had welled up in Orihime's eyes, her lower quivering cutely as she whispered, "I-Ichi…"

With a jolt, Ichigo shot up from the floor and quickly came to her rescue. He scooped Orihime up. "Yoruichi-san!" he bellowed.

"What!" snapped Yoruichi, "She _bit _my tail!" the cat screeched.

Ichigo's eyebrow arched in disbelief, "I… Well…" He recovered quickly from his astonishment. "But why do you have to scratch her? She's just curious!" He defended. The cat snorted and sulked. Ichigo sat down, putting Orihime on his lap as he examined her face. She was sniffling quietly, her large doe eyes wide and watery as she clutched the front of his jacket with her small fist.

"You okay?" he asked anxiously. Orihime smiled timidly, blinking back her tears. She dragged him down to her level and hugged his neck. Ichigo felt his cheeks heat up at the innocent but intimate gesture, but he patted her back gently. With an earnest frown in place, she studied him, then she started to climb up to his shoulder while making small huffing sounds. Still blushing, Ichigo did not say a word as Orihime tugged, huffed and grunted until she reached her destination – his shoulder. She straddled his shoulder and wrapped her tiny legs around his shoulders and neck. He winced when she curled her hands into fist, hanging on to his bright locks to steady herself.

Tatsuki arched a brow at him. As a response, Ichigo glared, though he knew his blushing ruined the preferred effect. "She really likes you, huh?" Tatsuki commented nonchalantly with a shrug as she watched Orihime wrap her small arms around his head and rest her head on top of his. Ichigo grunted as a reply, eyes averted to the side. He knew it was just a candid observation but the thought of Orihime _liking_ him sort of caused a tingle in his spine.

"So," Rukia said, "all we can do is to wait."

"Hai~ I'm working on it very diligently, Kuchiki-san!"

Rukia narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure this is an accident?"

"So suspicious!"

"You _are _suspicious." Rukia snorted.

When Orihime started to wiggle her way down, Ichigo helped Orihime get down from his shoulder. She sat quietly beside him for a moment, a contemplative frown on her face before crawling closer to Yoruichi. This time, Ichigo watched her attentively. Yoruichi narrowed her eyes as the little girl approached. Orihime stared back with wide-eyed innocence, a hand reaching out to touch the dark fur. Still watching her, Yoruichi let Orihime ran her fingers across her fur and later, allowed the girl to press her cheek on her furry head.

Tatsuki, meanwhile, was shaking her head. "This is ridiculous but whatever, the damage is done and there's nothing I can do about it." She glanced over at Orihime cuddling the cat. Tatsuki sighed. "Well, I'm off. My parents and I are going somewhere so I can't stay very long." She stood up and patted Orihime on the head. "See you soon, kiddo."

Ichigo had stood up as well. "Me too. Inoue and I are going to the park." He gestured to Orihime to come closer. Orihime obediently put the cat down and walked up to Ichigo.

"I will inform you as soon as I finished the antidote, Kurosaki-san!" chirped Urahara.

Ichigo glared. "Are you going to make me pay for it?"

Urahara cocked his head to the side. "Well, well, well~ aren't you a gentleman, hmm? Please, pray tell me, are you willing to foot the bill in behalf of Inoue-san like a devoted, kind-hearted… _friend_?"

Ichigo's scowl deepened, not liking the shopkeeper's tone. "I… I – forget it!" He bent down and lifted Orihime. "We're off! Tell me when the antidote's done!"

**_&.**

Fifteen minutes later, they found themselves walking down a pathway leading to the town's park. Orihime was happily skipping in front of him as Ichigo hovered behind her. The park was in sight when Ichigo heard an annoying but familiar drawl.

"Oi, Ichigo, you tosser."

Recognizing the voice, he turned around. "Shinji!"

The blonde Vizard grinned at him, raising a hand in greeting. "Yohoo, missed me?"

Ichigo reached down for Orihime's small hand and faced Shinji. "You finally crawled out of your hellhole. I was looking for you! Did you guys change address or something?"

"Who's the kid?" asked Shinji instead, raising a curious brow. The hairpins were familiar as well as the hair color.

"None of your business!" snapped Ichigo. "I mentioned to you before that I want to train with you guys. Did you forget?"

Shinji made a face. "We're in a holiday, idiot. Cut us some slack, yeah?"

Ichigo frowned and gave a sigh. He knew he was being inconsiderate but he needed to take action before everything blew up out of proportion again. He wanted to avoid another dome incident. True, the transformation helped him to honor his vow to Orihime, but the stabbing-a-friend accident still managed to turn his stomach. "Look, I have to take better control of my powers and learn to use my new mask."

"Look," Shinji mimicked, "We—"

"… Ichi?"

The two males looked down at the tiny girl. Seeing Orihime's creased brows, Ichigo crouched down in front of her. "What is it, Inoue?" The girl opened her mouth but Shinji spoke.

"_Inoue?_"

Ichigo fought the reflex to hit his forehead with his palm. _Damn. _

"Wait a friggin' minute. Inoue? As in _Orihime-chan?_"

Ichigo threw Shinji a sour look. "Shut the hell up for a sec, will you?" He looked at Orihime again. "What is it?"

Orihime scrunched her eyebrows together in a look of deep concentration. "I… I n-need… I need to pee."

Ichigo looked at her blankly. "Pee?" he repeated. Orihime replied with a sharp nod. His hollow cackled maliciously in his ear.

_Sweet._

He ignored the white menace – but not without picturing himself puncturing a stave into his hollow's stomach. That white perverted bastard.

"Al…right…" said Ichigo slowly.

"Oi, who's ta kid?" prodded Shinji, peering down at the auburn-haired little girl.

He knew it was no use to lie about it. "It's Inoue." Ichigo replied nonchalantly, taking her hand.

Shinji's jaw dropped, his eyes round. "Wha—"

"Urahara-san. Don't ask."

For a full minute, Shinji regarded the child quietly. And then, he asked in a _very _serious tone. "What happened to her boobs?"

A vein stretched, throbbed and exploded.

"_OW! _DAMN IT, ICHIGO! DAMN Y– _OWW_!"

**_&.**

Eight pairs of eyes stared with rapt attention. Orihime stared back unblinkingly. Ichigo, who was watching the spectacle before him, grunted. "Is this first time you guys saw a kid?"

"She's goddamned tiny," Kensei growled, scowling heavily as he examined the strange creature before him.

"Hey, watch your language!" admonished Ichigo.

"Idiot Kensei! Look at me, my name's Idiot Kensei!" Mashiro chirped, pulling down the skin below her right eye as she stuck her tongue out. A large vein throbbed above Kensei's eye.

"She looks like a shrimp," Hiyori sniped. Lisa surveyed the little girl with seriousness while Love and Rose looked genuinely curious and fascinated.

"I think she's cute," drawled Shinji. "Makes me wanna hug her an' never let go~" and he proceeded into doing so, but Ichigo grabbed the back of Shinji's shirt and shoved him away.

"No hugging!" he bellowed.

"You're possessive." Kensei commented offhandedly. Ichigo twitched. Where did he hear that comment before?

"I'm _not,_" he grunted, fed up with the farce. "I'm here to talk about my training! Can we talk about it now? When do we start?"

Shinji heaved an overdramatic sigh. "Fine, fine… I'm in the lovin' mood right now so let's do it," he said and unsheathed his sword.

Ichigo scowled. "Wait, now? But Inoue's here. I promised her that we—"

"You got it bad, huh?" snorted Kensei as he sat down on a rock. Rose and Love nodded, while Lisa rubbed her chin contemplatively. Hiyori rolled her eyes and Hachi smiled gently. Ichigo gawked at them, stuttering.

"What the hell are you talking about!"

"Oh come on, quit blabberin', idiot. Yer so predictable," Shinji drawled lazily, eyes heavy-lidded as he shouldered his sword. "I'm gonna kick yer ass for ruinin' my holiday."

Ichigo sighed. "One hour," he said, retracting his representative badge. Without thinking, he pressed the badge to his chest. His spiritual body remained standing while his corporeal body keeled backward.

Orihime gasped loudly.

"Huh?" Ichigo turned around to look at Orihime. Her eyes were huge and eventually, they began to swim in thick tears.

His eyes widened, _Oh shi—_

_Nice one, king, nice one. _His Hollow sounded pissed.

"ICHIIIIIIIII…!" Orihime shrieked.

Shinji groaned. "What an ass."


	9. ah, my goddess

**title. **a child's play**  
summary.** Ichigo groaned, almost heartbroken as he looked down at Inoue Orihime. Small, cute and, _yes, _flat-chested.**  
note.** a late Happy New Year to all! may 2011 be a better year to all. 8D

**disclaimer.** applied. oh woe is me.

* * *

Shinji groaned, half-amazed and half-irritated at Ichigo's display of carelessness. "What an ass."

The rest of the Vizards watched the little auburn-haired girl, her small body draped over unconscious Ichigo's chest. Hachi decided to intervene, trying to calm the child but to no avail. The girl was inconsolable, sobbing Ichigo's name over and over again, her tears drenching the boy's shirt.

Mentally cursing his carelessness, Ichigo began as gently as he can, "Inoue—"

"You," Shinji enunciated with clarity, "are an idiot."

"I know!" snapped Ichigo, his panic apparent by the slight tremor in his voice. "Inoue…"

"I think it's best for you to return to your body first." Hachi advised. The idea sounded prudent so Ichigo nodded.

Orihime gasped when the previous prone body sat up, her sobs coming to a sudden halt. "I-Ichi?"

"Inoue, I'm sor—"

"ICHI!" Surprising Ichigo and slightly knocking him back, Orihime clutched at his neck tightly. Despite her small size, she had a fairly good grip, Ichigo realized. He sighed, flabbergasted at his own stupidity and carelessness. He had probably shocked her into a fit of terror by falling down dead. Patting her head gently, he placated her by saying he was fine. It worked, thankfully, as she eventually stopped crying and calmed down.

"Sorry, Inoue. I made you worry." Ichigo added, still supporting her weight.

The girl smiled tremulously. Ichigo wiped her cheeks and nose, ignoring the floating remarks from his comrades – most comments came from Shinji – about him being a 'emotionless, brainless jackass'. Fighting the urge to hurl comebacks, he decided to address Hachi.

"Hachi-san, can you look after Inoue while I train?" The gentle giant was probably the _only_ sane, or the sanest, Vizard in the group. Moreover, Hachi was fond of Orihime even before and he seemed fatherly.

"No problem, Ichigo-san," replied Hachi. Ichigo flashed a small, grateful grin.

"Thanks." He brought Orihime closer to Hachi and kneeled beside her, hands on her shoulders. "Inoue, stay with him for a while, okay? I'll come back for you later and then, we'll go to the park like I promised." Orihime stared up to the enormous man before her, mouth slack in fascination. Ichigo nodded at Hachi before leaving. He hid behind a boulder, used his badge, and leapt up in the air, landing in front of Shinji without a sound; the bandages around Zangetsu unfurled and in seconds, without a verbal declaration, he was in Bankai form, a hand in front of his face where his mask started to form.

**_&.**

"Too weak!" Shinji snorted. As if on cue, Ichigo's new mask cracked in the middle and crumbled.

The orange-haired Vizard cursed as he skidded backwards, slamming his foot down. His momentum slowed down and he halted, his body slumping as he panted. White crumbs of his mask floated in the air and eventually disappeared. Narrowed yellow eyes and black sclera glared behind messy, sweaty orange bangs. To say he was displeased was an understatement.

Shinji pushed his mask up to look at the younger Vizard. "What's up, Ichigo? Scared?"

Ichigo gritted his teeth, his nose flaring at every breath.

Shinji treaded across the space between them, his posture lax, his gait slow. He stopped after nine steps, his weight on one leg as he shouldered his sword. "How disappointin'. You have a new mask and ya can't even wear it for three freakin' minutes? Ya shitting me, kid?"

Ichigo gripped the hilt of Zangetsu tighter, his eyes now in their original colors. With difficulty, he curbed his irritation and chose to glare at the blond with vehemence instead of verbally conveying his displeasure. He will not give Shinji pleasure by stating how troublesome the new mask was; after all, Ichigo's distress was Shinji's entertainment.

The new mask was heavy, literally obstructing his breathing. It also caused him to tire easily, making leaping, dodging, swinging his sword and moving his limbs a burden. If their spar was a real combat, Shinji would not have a hard time killing him; he would not even have to use his mask.

"Shut up," Ichigo groused, eyes heavy-lidded. "I'm trying my best here!"

Shinji eyed him disinterestedly. He was already bored, Ichigo could tell. "Wow," Shinji deadpanned. "That's obvious." Ichigo felt his eye tick. "Tryin' yer best, huh. No wonder yer mask broke for the _seventh _time, twerp."

"Stop reminding me! The new mask is goddamned heavy!"

"Excuses, excuses, excuses," drawled Shinji, rolling his eyes, "Why the hell did you upgrade anyway?"

Ichigo's eyes widened. "…!"

Shinji grinned; seemingly pleased with the reaction he induced. The rest of the Vizards, except for Hachi who was busy playing with Orihime, watched the exchange with different facial expressions.

"What made you _so _desperate that you turned into a horned beast?"

Ichigo's grip tightened, his knuckles cracking, his eyes dark and unreadable. Shinji smirked, watching the play of emotions across Ichigo's face. Pleased, he pulled down his mask, lifted his sword and energy started to gather to form a Cero.

"Shit," Kensei deadpanned.

Love sighed. "Don't overdo it," he called out.

"A Cero! Are ya out of your mind, ya stupid!" shrieked Hiyori. "We should have asked Hachi to erect a barrier if you're going to fucking show off!"

"It's going to be messy," Rose commented.

Lisa, on the other hand, shrugged, flipping to the next page of the manga she was reading. "Let him clean up the mess later on."

"Why did you turn into a rampaging knight in a bloody armor, Ichigo?" Shinji continued. The energy took shape. The air pressure started to overwhelm Ichigo. His thick orange hair flew about, his bangs falling over his eyes, covering his face.

…

…

…

…_Help, Kurosaki-kun!_

Ichigo lifted his head, his bright hair lifted off his face, revealing his eyes.

Seeing the look in Ichigo's eyes, Shinji smirked to himself. "Do you remember now?"

The orange haired shinigami did not respond. Instead, the look in his eyes intensified, his eyes almost glowing. He made a ripping motion in front of his face with his hand, producing a swirl of black reiatsu. When the reiatsu disappeared, a mask with four black strips appeared.

At the same time, Shinji released the Cero.

**_&.**

"Damn…" Shinji rotated his sword arm, his face mask-less.

Ichigo snorted, panting heavily. Both Vizards were on the ground, both breathless and worn out after two hours of sparring.

"It felt good to kick your ass." Ichigo scoffed. With a thoughtful frown, he examined his palm, flexing his fingers. "It's easier to wield now. It still feels heavy, but not as heavy as before."

"Good." Shinji straightened up and stretched.

"But… What if I lose control again and I transform?" asked Ichigo, frowning heavily to mask his apprehension.

"Maybe you can ask Orihime-chan to hug you to calm your hormones?" suggested Shinji with a grin.

A vein twitched on his temple. "You bastard, this is serious!" snapped Ichigo.

Shinji blinked, feigning innocence. "I'm serious, too."

Ichigo shook his head. "You know what, forget it! I'm going home!"

"Ichigo," Love began. "You don't have to worry." The younger Vizard turned to the former Soul Society captain. "You know _what_ triggered your transformation. All you have to do is to prevent _it_ from happening again."

Ichigo averted his gaze, turning his face to the side, bright locks of damp hair sticking to his face. He imagined Inoue's crying face, he remembered the sound of her cry of help – _I can hear her. _

He clenched his fist.

_I will protect her._

Ichigo nodded gravely. "Right. Thanks." After returning to his body, he looked for Orihime and found her playing hide-and-seek with Hachi's small, square barrier. Despite her current situation, it seemed that her powers were still active. He watched her for a while, suddenly haunted by his blurred recollections of what happened in the dome.

"Ichi!" Orihime exclaimed, jolting him out of his morose thoughts. She ran toward him and hugged his leg. Smiling slightly, he placed a hand on top of her head.

"Did you have fun?" he asked. Orihime looked up to him.

"Un! He's funny!" she chirped, gesturing towards Hachi. Ichigo smirked and crouched down.

"Sorry, Inoue, it's already late. We can go to the park tomorrow, OK?" Orihime nodded. Ichigo patted her head, stood up and thanked Hachi. "Let's go." He held up a hand to her to which she latched on while waving at the gentle giant with her other hand energetically.

As they walked home, Orihime chattered in her broken, childish language. "He's big, Ichi!" These words were apparently the only sentence she did not have trouble speaking. Upon entering the house which was quiet and abandoned, he asked her if she was hungry. He watched her ponder, a cute frown on her face.

"Hey, don't be shy." He said when her frown became more prominent. Smiling timidly, Orihime nodded.

"You have to wash up first, OK?" He carried her to the bathroom where she undressed herself slowly. At this point, he had become completely comfortable seeing her bare (however, the white, annoying parasite in his head kept on making remarks which induced a lot of mortified and angry blushing faces. Zangetsu was quiet, but Ichigo was certain the old man was curious as well.). He lifted her and placed her in the bathtub. He watched her swim around for a while and play with the bubbles with a small smile on his face. Carefully, he shampooed her long hair while she poked the bubbles around her with a look of concentration on her face. He even had to shake her to catch her attention to rinse off the suds. After helping her wipe herself dry and get dressed, he told her to wait in his room. Minutes later, he returned with a tray of snacks which she devoured with gusto.

Sunday passed quietly which they spent in the park. It was Tuesday when Urahara summoned him which meant the antidote was completed. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, examining the small flask closely. He glared at the shopkeeper.

"Is this safe?"

"Hai, Kurosaki-san! I am wounded you even had to ask!"

"The color and the smell are suspicious," Ichigo replied bluntly. The liquid was neon green and it smelt like overcooked cabbage.

"You're so picky," Urahara observed. Ichigo looked at the flask again before turning to Orihime with uncertainty. He felt uncomfortable with administering something odd in Orihime's body but he had no choice. This had to work, Ichigo thought fiercely. He liked looking after her, enjoyed it even, but he could not deny the part of him that desired to see the older Orihime. Nursing complicated, somewhat inappropriate feelings for the girl while she was in a strange repressed state felt weird, causing him to feel like he was some sort of a sick freak. It will be easier to deal with his emotions – and hormones, his Hollow added, snickering – if Orihime was in her normal state of being.

"Here, Inoue, drink this." Orihime observed it first before nodding. Ichigo helped her drink, holding the flask carefully as she drank. She wrinkled her nose afterwards, making a strange face, causing Ichigo to worry. "Are you okay?"

"Un!"

"And now we wait!" declared Urahara.

"When will the antidote take effect?"

"Hmm…"

Ichigo glared as the blond shopkeeper did not reply quickly. "Urahara-san," he grunted.

Urahara flashed him a wide grin. "I don't know, Kurosaki-san."

"W-WHAT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'YOU DON'T KNOW'?" he bellowed.

"Well, I supposed it was not important to know _when _she'll return to normal… What's more important is that she _will _return to normal!"

"Are you crazy?" Ichigo's tone was strangely high-pitched. "What if she suddenly transformed and I…" His red face indicated the line of thought he was having, which Urahara had no trouble comprehending.

"Well, if that happened, then you are one lucky person, Kurosaki-san."

His face colored more. "I'm not that type of person!"

"Manners, Kurosaki-san, Inoue-chan is watching you."

Ichigo twitched. "You…"

"Why are you so worked up, hmm, Kurosaki-san? This isn't going to be the first time you'll see a female naked body…"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Urahara grinned good-naturedly. "Yoruichi-san has informed me before that you had the pleasure of –"

"ENOUGH!" Ichigo yelled, beet-red. "This… This is different!" He argued.

"Why is that?" Ichigo frowned, opening and closing his mouth as he struggled and failed to come up with an appropriate comeback. Urahara waited patiently. "Well…?"

There was a gulp. And, "It's… It's _Inoue._"

The corner of Urahara's mouth quirked upward. "I see."

The frown on Ichigo's face deepened. Urahara looked as if he knew something he would not tell, which was probably the closest to the truth. This was Urahara, after all. Shady and mysterious. However, he could not help but asked, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing~! So suspicious!"

"You _are _suspicious."

Wait. Where did Urahara hear that before?

**_&.**

One day before Christmas.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the house was empty except for Ichigo and Orihime. Karin and Yuzu were out to shop, and their father offered to accompany them. As practiced, Ichigo ushered Orihime to the bathroom to wash up while he prepared snacks for her. He took a freshly-laundered towel from a drawer, knocked once before opening the bathroom door.

"Inoue, here's your—"

"KYAAAA!"

That sound was different but familiar. "Huh? What…" His eyes slowly widened and his jaw dropped at the sight before him.

Even his Hollow went speechless and still.

It was, by far, the most breathtaking sight he had ever seen, breathtaking enough to take his breath away. Literally.

"K-Kurosaki-kun…"

Ichigo gaped as he stared at Inoue Orihime. Tall, beautiful, and, _yes,_ oh-so very well-endowed. And very _naked_.


	10. one and a princess

**title. **a child's play**  
summary.** Ichigo groaned, almost heartbroken as he looked down at Inoue Orihime. Small, cute and, _yes, _flat-chested.**  
note.** thanks oh so very much for reading and reviewing! :) each and every review is greatly appreciated, inspired me and made me smile ridiculously so! :D thank you very much, all! i am very glad that you guys enjoyed this fic, thanks very much for your kind words! :D

**disclaimer.** Bleach © Kubo.

* * *

He was going to sound trite and ridiculously out of character but she _was beautiful. _

(and he was _amazed _that his Hollow had not made a single malicious comment; the white menace was probably in shock right now due to the massive amount of exposed delicate skin; it was rather perplexing that a pretty girl's skin could make his Hollow shut up.)

Not only she was beautiful, she was also–

"Um, K-Kurosaki-kun…"

— naked.

"Yeah…" he said, dazed and _still _staring. He should stop, he knew he should, but who could blame him? Urahara was right – he was a very lucky person. It was rather wise (later, he'd beat himself up for blatantly staring at his _friend's_ body, "I'm a bloody bastard," he'd later tell himself) to use his _very_ rarely bestowed luck and… stare. And stare. And stare– more.

"P-Please turn around…"

Ichigo blinked. "Huh?" Then his eyes widened in realization, his face bright red. "O-Oh shit! I'm sorry I didn't see any —" He saw _plenty_ and he stared _more_. "I-I mean, I…" _Nice legs._

"P-Please t-turn around…"

"R-Right!" Hastily, Ichigo whirled around, his heart racing and beating against his ribs. He lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his neck. Licking his lips, he subconsciously relived the previous scene in his head. And he could only say one word: _wow._

His Hollow opened its mouth and before the white nuisance could spout a word, Ichigo mentally shoved his fist into the Hollow's mouth.

_Not a word._

_Ffff_, the aggravated Hollow snorted.

"K-Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo stiffened. "I'm sorry, Inoue. I didn't know you were…" He cleared his throat, tugging the collar of his shirt.

"I-It's alright!" she chirped. "I-I-I mean it's n-not your fault!" she added hastily, realizing how she sounded. "I didn't lock the door and… Kurosaki-kun is not that type of person."

"Thanks, Inoue," he replied, relieved.

"You're welcome. B-But… could I borrow a bigger towel, please?"

**_&.**

Orihime stood in the middle of Ichigo's room, wearing nothing but a towel around her body. It was thick and large, reaching her knees, but still, the amount of exposed skin was still capable of sending Ichigo's brain to an overdrive. To Ichigo's credit, he was trying very hard to keep his stare on Orihime's toes, the part which he considered the safest to look at. And they were peculiarly … cute.

Ichigo mentally sighed. What the hell had gotten to him? It was probably the Chad's I-am-weak-to-cute-things Syndrome. Apparently, the disease was contagious and he was infected.

The girl broke the awkward silence with a quiet "Um". Instinctively, Ichigo looked up to her face; she was religiously keeping her face hidden behind her long, damp hair, but he could see a small glimpse of her forehead and eyelashes. Her shoulders were hunched as though she was trying to appear small.

Lifting her lashes, she smiled timidly. "W-What am I doing here?"

Ichigo scratched the top of his head, eyes averted to the side. "You live here."

"I-I do?" she stammered.

"Yeah." He gestured toward his bed. "Do you want to sit down? You look tired." Her gaze landed on the bed, and a bright blush erupted in her face, causing Ichigo to frown. "Are you okay?"

She looked at him in a snap. "I-I'm fine!" she chirped quickly. Ichigo shrugged and sat down on his bed in front of her. He looked up and stared right at her eyes, wet reddish brown hair framing her face. The weight of her innocent gaze startled him, so he shot up to his feet abruptly and sat down on his chair instead, his back to her.

"Really, Inoue, you have to sit down. You look as if you're gonna pass out."

"O-Okay…" He was sharply aware of her slow, careful movements as she sat down. "Kurosaki-kun." He tilted his head, indicating that he was listening. "Why am I here?"

Ichigo shifted his seat so that he was facing her fully. "What do you remember?"

Orihime tapped her chin with her index finger, trying to jog her memory. "Hmm, I remember watching an old comedy, I was laughing nonstop because it was _really _funny and then I fell asleep, I woke up, I decided to walk around then I visited Urahara-san's shop! After that… everything's kind of blurry. Like a weird dream…"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "All right. You ate something weird and it turned you into a child."

Her eyes widened. "Eh?"

"It was a weird candy made by Urahara-san. And whatever it was, after you ate it, you turned into your three year old self." Ichigo elaborated. "I've been taking care of you ever since."

Orihime flushed. "Y-You have?"

"Yeah."

Orihime pressed her palms on her heated cheeks. "Oh no! I hope I didn't make any trouble!"

"You didn't, don't worry." There were, however, borderline heart attacks and awkward old underwear hunting he had endured. "You better take a rest, Inoue. I'm serious. You look tired. I think your body is still adjusting from the changes."

Smiling bashfully, she shook her head. "I feel fine. I think it's better if I go —"

"Onii-chan, we're here!"

Their eyes widened as they look at each other in horror.

"Where are you?" They heard footfalls coming.

Ichigo lunged toward his closet and yanked it open. "In here!" Orihime climbed in clumsily, carefully securing the towel around her. His bedroom door swung open just as he closed his closet.

Yuzu blinked at her brother who was pressed up against his closet. "What are you doing, onii-chan?"

"Nothing!" he replied quickly, trying to mask the anxiety in his voice. "What's for dinner? I'm starving!"

Yuzu blinked, baffled, but she replied, "I'm going to prepare beef steak and stir fried vegetables." The young girl looked around. "Where's —"

Ichigo jumped in front of Yuzu, holding the girl in place, blocking the view to his bed. "That's good! Can't wait! Why don't I help you, yeah?"

"That's great! But Inoue-chan, who'd look after her?" Ichigo ushered his sister out of his room and closed his door.

"Nah, she's okay. She's sleeping. She needs rest. So she can grow fast and healthy."

"But I didn't see her–"

"We're having beef and stir fried vegetables, huh?"

**_&.**

Ichigo closed the door behind him and placed the tray of food on his desk. He slid the closet door open; Orihime was asleep, curled up in a ball, looking perfectly content and serene. Hesitantly, he reached down and shook her shoulder gently.

"Wake up, Inoue."

"Mm," she sighed sleepily, her nose wrinkling.

"Come on." Ichigo shook her persistently yet gently until she opened her eyes to stare up at him groggily.

"Wassamatter?" she mumbled. "Is there something wrong…? What… what are you doing here, Kurosaki-kun?"

He had to smile at that. "You're in my closet."

She blinked a couple of times, obviously still very drowsy and when she finally opened her eyes wider, she recognized her surroundings and recalled her current predicament. "O-Oh!" She blushed. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun. I forgot." She smiled sheepishly.

Ichigo shook his head. "It's okay. Come on. I brought you dinner." Orihime slowly unfolded her body, her fatigue and grogginess still apparent. Under his hooded lids, he watched her shift and unfold her legs, his lashes obscuring his thoughts. The towel rode up above her knees, a slit appearing exposing a bit of skin of her thighs. His stare traced the curve of her calves and finally settled on her feet.

"Um, Kurosaki-kun…?"

He lifted his gaze to her face; Orihime was looking up to him, innocently curious. Realizing what he had been doing, he panicked mentally and glanced off the side quickly, clearing his throat. "Sorry. Come on." He slid the door close behind her.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun and I sincerely apologize for intruding," Orihime said when she's finally seated.

"Hey, you're not intruding. Stop apologizing already."

She beamed at him and started to eat. In between spoonfuls, she'd compliment how tasty the food was. "Yuzu's the master chef." Ichigo would reply with a shrug and small, crooked smile. Watching her ate with gusto reminded him of the times when he used to watch her younger self eat. He felt a tinge of melancholic nostalgia; he could not deny that he already missed that small bubbly ball of sunshine. Her wide, toothy smiles, her small stubby fingers that struggled to hold her food, the messy way she ate. A bigger part of him was relieved, though, that she was back to her original self.

After clearing her plate and everything else, and allowing Ichigo to carry it downstairs to the kitchen, Orihime began to feel self-conscious again. The room was warm despite of the cold outside. By the time Ichigo was back, she was fidgeting with the towel, a wrinkle on her brows.

"Are you alright?"

The girl smiled up at him timidly. "U-Un!"

Ichigo frowned. "Are you sure? You don't look alright to me."

Orihime bit her lip first before continuing, "I hate to bother you, Kurosaki-kun… But I wonder how can I go back to my apartment? I don't have any appropriate clothes…"

"Do you intend to go tonight?" She nodded. Ichigo shook his head. "It's impossible, Inoue. It's going to be dangerous for you. And you look as if you're going to fall into pieces." He turned towards his closet and opened the top shelf. "You need rest. Use my bed and some of my old clothes."

Behind him, Orihime flailed and blush in embarrassment. "I-I can't do that! W-Where are you going to sleep? I d-don't want to bother you and make you uncomfortable! I've troubled you enough!"

"It's alright. Don't worry about me." He placed an old futon on the floor and started to look for his old clothes. "Here, try this on." He handed her an old navy shirt and knee shorts.

Blushing, Orihime shakily took the clothes and stared at them reverently. "A-Are you sure it's okay? I don't want to put you out…"

"I'm sure. You can't prance around wearing a bath towel." She giggled softly. Relieved at the sound of her small laughter, Ichigo smirked. "And it's going to get colder." He nodded at the old clothes in her hands. "I know it's going to be… uncomfortable but they're better than a bath towel."

"Thank you! I'm very grateful for your help. I'm sure they're warm and will protect me from the cold!"

He grinned briefly at her determined tone.

"But…"

Ichigo's frown returned instantly, worried. "What is it?" he asked as gently as he can without sounding fierce and demanding.

Orihime's skin flushed as she bowed her head to probably hide her face behind the curtain of auburn hair.

"I n-need u-underwear…"

**_&.**

Ichigo groaned silently for the umpteenth time. His Hollow was back on its babbling self. And it babbled on and on about the girl in his bed. His initial plan was to ignore his Hollow's overly enthusiastic monologue. Most of the time, this tactic worked, but the white menace was on the roll; it did not stop. Ichigo resorted into mentally socking the Hollow; it did not work. It kept on cackling about the "the mouthwatering feast on his bed". Much worse, his Hollow _knew _about his more pressing _problem. _

Oh come on, _King._ She's _naked _under _your _clothes. It would be so damn easy!

…

Are you ignoring me _again?_

…

Fine! The bathroom is just a few steps away, asshole. Do it. With your hand.

_Shut up or I'll do it for you!_

Heh. Just don't forget to wash your hands.

Ichigo groaned, raking a hand through his hair.

"Kurosaki-kun… Are you okay?"

He stiffened, startled to hear Orihime's voice. "I thought you're already asleep."

"Mmm… I'm trying but…"

"Are you uncomfortable?"

"Oh no, no! Your bed is very nice to sleep in and it smells wonderful but I feel guilty that you have to sleep on the floor. You know I can –"

"Inoue, we discussed it, didn't we? I won't allow you to sleep on the floor."

She laughed softly. "I know. You're very kind and considerate but Kurosaki-kun…"

"Don't worry about me, okay? I'm fine. You should go to sleep."

"Okay… Thank you, Kurosaki-kun. Good night…"

"Yeah."

Ichigo turned his head towards his bed, listening to Orihime's steady, soft breathing. He was keenly aware of her every gentle movement she made, her soft sighs. Under the shafts of moonlight filtering through the gaps of the curtain, her long hair shone eerily. For some odd reason, he was mesmerized and felt tempted to touch her hair, which he did after a second of deliberation. Without shifting in his position, he reached out a hand. Auburn strands slipped through his long fingers. Gently, as though he was afraid to wake her up, he rubbed the strands between the pads of his fingers. He froze when she suddenly moved, rolling to her side, facing his position, a hand dangling off the bed. She sighed deeply before going still again. He stared at her immobile hand, his hollow strangely quiet; it must have grown tired from its incessant crowing. With a sigh, he lowered his hand and closed his eyes.

**_&.**

Before Isshin could make contact with the door to his only son's bedroom, the said door swung inward and a foot slammed on to his face. Isshin flew backwards and hit the opposite wall. The impact caused the whole house to shake. At the kitchen, Yuzu stopped from preparing breakfast, startled; Karin remained unaffected, reading the morning paper.

"Karin-chan, what was that? An earthquake?"

"Nah, just two idiots colliding," replied Karin.

"Excellent timing, my son! You are exceptional! I am now at peace to leave this world knowing my virgin son is capable of defending himself!" cried Isshin.

"Be quiet already!"

"Clearly, you need further education about good manners and right conduct!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and slammed his door close to his father's face. He glanced at his bed and found Orihime peacefully sleeping. Her thick fan of hair spread all over his pillows, drowning her pale face, and he was sure his pillows, beddings and blanket were saturated in her clean scent. He contemplated whether to wake her from her deep slumber, but he thought the earlier he sneaked her out of the house the better.

He went over the bed. He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her. "Inoue, wake up." She responded with a soft whine of protest, curling under the covers more comfortably with a small smile on her lips. He continued to shake her but she was unmoved, going as far as shoving his hand off her shoulder, muttering how soft everything was.

With a sigh, Ichigo sat down on his bed, looking down at the slumbering girl. They had to plan how she could get out of the house undetected. He tried again, this time, Orihime rolled away from him, bringing the blankets with her as she settled on her stomach.

Ichigo stilled and swallowed slowly, his gaze fixed on the naked skin of the back of her legs. It seemed that because of a certain lack of important piece of clothing, she had decided to simply wear the overlarge shirt. When standing, it was long enough to protect her modesty, but due to twisting and turning in his bed, the hem had gathered around her thighs. The shirt had not completely ridden up, although the hem was on the verge of fully exposing her buttocks. With just one false move, it will fully expose her rear. He swallowed again, and though the weather was cold, he felt uncomfortably flushed. He forcefully averted his gaze, causing his hollow to spew nonsense.

Stop being a prude! Take a long, good look!

He rolled his eyes at his hollow's desperation. With a determined sigh, Ichigo reached for her shoulder and pulled her back so that she lying on her back. He brushed the few locks of her hair off of her face and shook her again. "Inoue, wake up." There was no reply.

He tried again. She gave a soft snore.

"Come on, wake up, Inoue." She tried again to escape his hand but he kept a firm hold on her. She whined softly and wrinkled her brows. With a sigh, she slowly opened her eyes. He raised a brow at her but her expression remained blank.

"Kurosaki-kun…" she mumbled in a clear but flat voice before closing her eyes with a sigh.

"Good, you're awake. Come on."

"No…" Her lips parted in a sigh, eyes half-lidded.

Mesmerized, Ichigo stared at her lips. He swallowed as he placed a hand on the bed beside her head. As though pulled by an unseen magnetic force, he bent down to her, fully intending to close the distance between their lips. She was not reacting, her lips parted as if waiting for him. Eyes half-lidded, he angled his head to the side.

Their noses touched.

"Onii-chan, breakfast's ready!" Startled, Ichigo jumped and fell backward to the floor with a loud thud.

In his bed, Orihime woke from her dream with a jolt. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Kurosaki-kun?" She peeked over the edge of the bed and saw the boy on the floor, his red face twisted in a grimace of pain.

"Kurosaki-kun!" She exclaimed and hurried to help him up, but Ichigo held up a hand while turning his red face away from her. He mumbled something. "What is it, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo cleared his throat with a cough. "S-Skin."

Orihime blinked. Ichigo made a wild gesture with his hand to elaborate. Frowning confusedly, she tried to comprehend his gestures and translate them to words. She looked down to herself. Seeing the healthy amount of skin she was exposing, she squeaked in mortification and dove back to the bed, covering herself in his blankets. "I-I'm so sorry!"

_No wonder why Kurosaki-kun's horrified! _She covered her face with her hands. _So embarrassing! _

On the floor, Ichigo sat up, red-faced. "Inoue."

"I-I'm so sorry!"

"I should be the one apologizing."

She bit her lip. "Y-You don't have to. It was my fault… I was so careless and clumsy."

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head, ignoring the gleeful whoops of victory of his hollow and to his horror, the few congratulatory words from Zangetsu. The old man was even nodding in appreciation!

_That's it. My respect for you just went down a few notches._

Zangetsu shrugged pensively.

THAT WAS AN EYEFUL. Whoop.

SHUT UP. NOW.

"Inoue, hey, it's… Let's just forget about it, okay?" Which, in his part, will require Herculean effort. He was a mere male mortal…

"O-Okay."

Ichigo sat down on his bed. "Anyway, Merry Christmas," he said with a small smile.

Orihime poked her head out of the cocoon of blankets. "It's Christmas? Today?"

Chuckling under his breath at her reaction, he nodded. "Yeah."

"O-Oh no! I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun for intruding! It's a special day and I'm here, bothering you with my problems!"

"Hey! You're not bothering me. What gave you that idea?" he demanded with a frown. "You're my nakama. I'd do anything to help you. That's what friends do to each other." Although several minutes ago, he was ready to kiss her – his unattainable, off-limits nakama. Friends don't kiss, do they? A part of him despaired.

She gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"So, what should we do? No offense to you but I'd rather keep you hidden from my family. My dad's crazy, Yuzu will jump into conclusions and Karin, she'll think I kidnapped you."

She giggled. "I could just climb out of your window."

"Without underwear on?" he blurted without thinking. They both blushed. Ichigo quickly added. "I mean, you can't climb out of my window! It's dangerous and you–"

"AHA, MY VIRGIN SON! What are you… hiding … from… papa – _Orihime-chan_?"

**_&.**

Isshin was sobbing his heart out in front of his deceased wife's poster. Karin and Yuzu were gaping at their scowling and blushing brother. Both girls were wearing expressions of extreme reverence. Their unpopular, sullen brother… in a room… with a half-naked girl – and this was no ordinary girl. It was Inoue Orihime. Pretty and kind, _pretty _and friendly, _pretty _and approachable. Something went wrong with the world, Karin was sure. So she had to ask.

"Did you kidnap her?"

Ichigo twitched, a vein pulsing in his temple. "I did not!"

"Then why is she here, in your room, without panties?"

Both Ichigo and Orihime flushed brightly. Karin saw their faces and her eyes widened.

"You did _it_, didn't you?"

Ichigo opened his mouth to defend their virtues. "We–"

"Tell us you used protection."

Orihime squeaked and covered her face.

"Karin!" bellowed Ichigo. "We did _nothing._ I slept on the floor. She slept in my bed. That's it. We slept, that's what we did – _separately_. Our virtues and integrity remain intact."

Isshin jumped to his feet, baffled. "W-What! I thought Orihime-chan finally took your virginity and I have to give you away?"

Ichigo stared, horrified. "W-What, give _me away? _You…!" Ichigo and Isshin started to sort out their differences by using their fists and feet.

"Nothing really happened?" asked Yuzu with wide eyes. Orihime smiled shyly, shaking her head.

"Kurosaki-kun was just being kind to me. Something had happened to me and he was the only one who is available to help me. That's all, Yuzu-chan."

Karin scoffed. "I knew it. Ichi-nii's such a wimp."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

After several broken furniture and threats from Karin, the father and son stopped their squabbling. Orihime spoke softly. "I think it's time for me to go."

"But Orihime-nee," Yuzu said, "You can join us for breakfast!"

"You're too kind, Yuzu-chan! But I have to go and let you spend the day together." She smiled sheepishly, blushing brightly. "Thank you for inviting though! Maybe next time, ne? Under normal circumstances…"

"All right."

After throwing his father against the wall, Ichigo stood up. "Come on, Inoue. I'll walk you home. Use my old pants and coat with loads of belt and clothespin to keep it on."

**_&.**

She was bundled in Ichigo's clothing, wrapped up in his scent, causing Orihime to blush profusely. The pants were baggy and Ichigo's old loafers were too large for her feet, but Orihime didn't mind. She was too happy to be saturated in Ichigo's wonderful scent to be mortified that she was walking beside the person she loved for a long time without underwear on inside his old sweatpants, which was being held on by numerous safety pins.

"We're here!" she said excitedly, pointing at her apartment. She went up the stairs and crouched down to rummage around the potted plants she had placed beside her door. Behind her, Ichigo watched her with interest.

"It's here somewhere… Tada! Found it!" She straightened up and shook the key in front of her. She unlocked her door and sighed in relief. "Thank you very much for looking after me, Kurosaki-kun! I can't remember anything so far but I'm sure you took care of me well!"

Ichigo slightly went pink. "I did my best."

"Un! Kurosaki-kun always does his best." She agreed. "I'll return your clothes as soon as I finish washing them!"

"You can return them anytime you want."

"Thank you. And Merry Christmas, Kurosaki-kun!"

He favored her with a small smile. Orihime went very pink, bowed slightly and moved to close the door.

"Wait."

"Eh?"

It's now or never, Ichigo thought nervously.

Grasp your destiny! His (supportive) Hollow bellowed.

Zangetsu nodded pensively.

When did the old man become interested in his love life?

Ichigo steeled his resolve.

"We're going to have a Christmas dinner," he began awkwardly, "Just me and my crazy dad and sisters, er… Do you want to come over and join us? It's just a simple dinner where no one is allowed to be late."

Her eyes rounded. "B-But… I don't want to intrude. It's Christmas, after all. It's a holiday to be spent with your family."

Ichigo chose his words carefully, but he did not have any idea how to say it without stating the obvious. "It's true but you don't have anyone else to spend it with," he said softly. "You're welcome to join us. There's plenty of room for you."

"A-Are you sure?"

Ichigo nodded, trying to curb his nervousness. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Blushing, Orihime acquiesced. "O-Okay."

"Great." He grinned, relieved. "I'll pick you up at six."

"Y-You will! But it's not necessary and –"

He shook his head. "It's going to be dark and slippery. I'll be here at six."

She pouted, but he could tell she was pleased. "All right." She moved to close the door but for the second time, Ichigo put a hand on the doorframe, making Orihime to stop. She blinked up at him. "Kurosaki-kun?"

"I…" He scowled at the space above her shoulder. Then he sighed and looked right at her. "I'm sorry."

"Eh?"

"You can slap me later if you want."

"Why would I–"

He put a hand on her cheek and put his lips on her, causing her mental workings to shut down momentarily. It was awkward, and his target was slightly off. Nevertheless, it was their first kiss, it was chaste and it would always be special.

Ichigo pulled back slightly, watching her face apprehensively, waiting for her to freak out. But she merely blinked and stared up to his eyes in wonder. She licked her lips and stared at his lips. Blushing anew, she tiptoed and pressed her lips on his. Amazed and relieved that she did not slap him like he had expected, Ichigo closed his eyes and returned the pressure, moving his lips gently over hers. He spread his fingers over her cheek, stroking her cheekbone with his thumb. He felt her grip the front of his coat, pulling him down and closer to her.

When they parted, both of them were breathing faster. She lowered her gaze shyly, missing the look of satisfaction in Ichigo's eyes.

"You can keep my clothes."

Startled, she looked up. "I-I can?"

"You can give me back my pants and coat, but you can keep my shirt."

Secretly, Orihime was glad she got to keep the shirt. It smelled so much of him. "I'll keep it and take good care of it too!"

Ichigo took her hand and squeezed it. "Inoue," he breathed. "It's going to sound weird but…" He gulped, sweating and panicking inside. "I like you."

Her eyes widened.

"We can go slowly, you know. You don't have to like me back instantly. But yeah, I hope eventually you will." To his horror, her eyes suddenly filled with tears. She was horrified, wasn't she? She was horrified that she was liked by _him_. "I-Inoue, don't cry! Did I scare you?"

He was not told that it was possible to terrify someone by telling them of your feelings. But he was of special case, anyway. He had a perverted freak in his head and he was not exactly the type of boy with pleasing personality and looks. Her horror was justifiable; no one in their right mind would be pleased to be liked by him.

Orihime was shaking her head. "These are happy tears." Again, Ichigo was not aware that there were different types of tears. "I-I'm just very happy."

"Inoue…"

She looked up at him with gentle eyes and pink cheeks. "I like you… I have for a long time."

It was his turn to be stunned. "You have?"

She nodded.

"Inoue," he began quietly, holding onto her hand tightly. "You know who I am and what I am capable of. You saw me lost it once. You saw me transform to a monster and I can't promise you that it won't happen again."

She cupped his face with her free hand. "You are the person I love and no matter what happens, no matter what you've become, I will always love you. True, I will get confused and frightened at first but I believe in you. I know you will do your best to make everything all right."

Ichigo soon found himself smiling widely. She smiled as well, blushing. At the sight of her smiling face, he was again very tempted to kiss her. He found kissing her very enjoyable, something he could get addicted to.

"I'll see you later, okay?" he said after kissing her.

"U-Un!"

He grinned boyishly and stepped out of the threshold. When he heard the click of the lock, he went down the stairs and walked back to his house, wearing a silly grin that looked awkward and equally frightening on his normally scowling face.

Congrats, King! Finally, you don't have to use your hand anymore!

The grin vanished instantly. _S-Shut up! What the hell are you talking about! I don't–_

Fff, oh come on. It's time to read those magazines that stupid lion bought for you! Memorize the top ten best positions and–

_Shut it or I'll march in there to do it myself!_

Oh, I am _so_ scared! BRING IT ON, JACKASS!


End file.
